Body Snatching Mishap
by Timidea
Summary: Zamasu uses the Super Dragon Balls to swap bodies with Goku, but a mistake in his wording results in a mistake that would affect his plan in its entirety. How will he roll out his Zero Mortals Plan? Can he even do so, now? Read to find out!
1. Prologue

Body Snatching Mishap, Prologue

Author's Note:

Okay, so before we get into things I just want to say that my goal with this is to create an entirely unique story, even if we do run into some or all of the same villains as in canon. Among the things that are obviously going to change due to the plot of this fan-fiction, I'll be entirely revising the way transformations and power scaling works. Among the reasons I'm doing this, is so that Zamasu cannot simply tap into SSj/Rose at a time wherein it would break things entirely.

Why don't I just - as an author, out of the continuity of the storyline - make a decision not to have him transform early? Because my goal is for Zamasu to stay realistically in character, and for him not to ascend when he can, in a situation where it would be for the best if he were to, just seems a bit too out of character for my tastes.

As well as this, changes to the continuity and rules of the Dragonverse means that things that wouldn't have happened in the canon universe may very well happen here.

Anyways, that's really all that I have to say before we get into the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball/Z/GT/Super or anything linked to it. At best, I own this fanfiction and only this fanfiction, not even the characters within.

-BSM-

Zamasu floats in the vacuum of space, his gaze drifting over the seven Super Dragon Balls that he had spent his time tediously collecting. All-in-all, his efforts were made easier once he had… coerced, we'll say, information from Zuno. The Super Dragon Balls, their exact locations, and how to summon the Super Shenron of these all-powerful wish granting balls.  
That's not all, however. It would be rather foolish to come this far and have no plan to show for it, now wouldn't it? For Zamasu, a plan isn't a problem - he had one ready from the moment he knew that this was even a possibility.

' _I'll use the wish to steal that disgusting Saiyajin Goku's body. Once our bodies have been swapped, I will dispose of him, and anyone else who dares oppose my power. Of course, that's all easier said than done. If able to avoid instant conflict, then I will do my best to take that path…'_

Zamasu thinks back to the video he had seen on GodTube, of Goku in the Super Saiyajin beyond God state… not only that, but some sort of power-amplifying technique (the Kaio-Ken, if his memory serves to be correct) had been stacked on top of it.  
' _Not only did such a mortal manage to attain the power that rivals gods… but he dared to use it in such a haphazard way. The amount of disrespect that he showed with his actions… despicable; however, now is not the time to get angered over such things. It's only a matter of time before somebody figures out my plan, and it would be best for me if I were to stop wasting further time and make this wish.'_

A small smile forms on the apprentice Kaioshin's face. Finally, his plan will come into action… he clears his throat, before yelling out the code to summon the eternal dragon of the Super Dragon Balls.  
"Saep ytterp hsiw ym tnarg dna, Sdog eht fo Nogard, htrof emoc!" Zamasu had made sure to memorize the phrase perfectly when Zuno told it to him, even if the little addition of 'pretty peas' - even in the language of the gods - sounded utterly absurd.

That 'pretty peas' is paying off, however, as the seven Super Dragon Balls glow bright, their light pulsing in sync before a blinding light shoots up from the center of them. Zamasu shields his eyes, but soon feels himself in the presence of someone… someone whose own presence feels rather intimidating.  
Letting his hands fall so that he can see clearly once more, be is taken aback by the scale of the Super Shenron, whose eye alone - no, a single _tooth_ alone - still dwarves the green-skinned Kaioshin.

" **Rebmuls ym ot nruter dna ti llifluf yam I taht os ,hsiw ruoy etats. Detnarg eb lliw gnisoohc ruoy fo hsiw eno yna."** The massive dragon booms, his voice so powerful that it likely carries for a massive distance, even in the pure vacuum of space.

Wiping some sweat from his brow, Zamasu clears his throat once more and - in his more amateur, non-memorized knowledge of the gods' language - speaks his desire.  
"Ukog Nos eno fo ydob eht ekat ot hsiw I!" Though he stumbles over none of the words, they are vague words and it occurs too late to him that it may cause confusion with the dragon. ' _If the dragon grows confused, will I simply not get my wish granted?'_ That would be the preferable option to Zamasu, given that he wouldn't want to find himself in the 'distorted wish' cliche…

Well, unfortunately for him, things don't always go the way one would want them to…

Super Shenron's eyes glow bright, and Zamasu's body begins to subtly glow. " **Lleweraf… Detnarg neeb sah hsiw ruoy."** The subtle glow around Zamasu's body grows stronger, and the apprentice Kaioshin feels what can only be described as a sudden and searing heat.

As he cries out in pain, the seven Super Dragon Balls shoot off in different directions, scattering until they would be once more collected…

' _What is this burning I feel? Is this to be expected with a wish of this kind?'_ Though there are many questions running through Zamasu's head in the current moment, "What is happening" would be at the top of those. The head seems to 'refine' itself, and the searing heat morphs into a sharp pain as a pulling sensation can be felt on every side of Zamasu.

"What… what is this?!" Zamasu exclaims, looking down at his hand, only to see a ghosted version of it, his true hand still clenched in a fist at his side from the pain. He lurches forward as if pushed from his own body, his ethereal form floating parallel to his physical form as his surroundings seem to blur.

The sharp pain is fading, now, but it is rapidly replaced by a numbing cold. The last thing Zamasu sees before everything goes black, is his body moving without him commanding it to do so. An expression on it that he had only seen on a certain mortal…  
' _Success…'_

-BSM-

"Goku. Goku, are you okay?" King Kai had been observing Goku, when the normally-enthusiastic Saiyajin simply froze in place. His fingers twitched and her almost appeared as if he wanted to curl up into a ball. His ki felt distressed, and this greatly worried the North Kai.

"Goku, say something!" King Kai moved around to the front of Goku, narrowing his eyes and watching carefully. The look in Goku's eyes was very distant, as if Goku were unable to fully focus. What's more, is that that lack of focus was slowly becoming worse. His eyes almost appeared glossed-over.

' _Whatever this is, it can't be good-'_ King Kai is cut off as Goku suddenly releases a yell of immense pain, grabbing at his chest and falling to his knees. "What in the-!?" Goku yells louder with every passing second, capturing the attention of King Kai, Gregory, and Bubbles alike as he writhes in pain.

He falls onto his side, his yells slowly dying down as his jaw goes slack; even more concerning is that Goku's ki entirely disappears, as if he were dead… well, he is, but that isn't the point. If that weren't concerning enough, something strange was occurring now. The glowing halo above Goku's head began to flicker, as if unsure whether or not it belonged. Apparently, its mind was soon made up, as it disappeared without a trace…

Then, life force returned to the body. Goku's ki could once more be felt, but at the same time it felt… different; Unlike it had before. For one, it's now far weaker than it was a second ago, at a level which would be impossible, given that he was just _re-invigorated_ by the life energy that entered him and seemed to revive him.

Goku's eyes opened, and with the new demeanor that's shown on the peace-loving fighter's face, King Kai was able to discern something of the utmost importance. Whoever it is before him, it is no longer Goku in spirit.

-BSM-

Zamasu feels almost as if his entire mind and soul are in an eternal state of numbness when it he comes to for the first time. He looks down to his ethereal form, wiggling his fingers and moving his arms. To be in such a form is certainly a disconcerting sensation, however it is far from unpleasant.

Within seconds, Zamasu falls 'unconscious' once more.

The next time he awakens, it is because he feels a presence rapidly approaching. Time seems to slow down, and Zamasu's gaze locks onto an equally-curious and confused gaze of someone else… this other ethereal being, is none other than Son Goku.

Only more affirmation that his plan had worked. Zamasu smirks, before he's pulled back into unconsciousness.

The final time that Zamasu wakes up, it's with a sense of clarity; albeit a mildly groggy sense of clarity, but he can _feel_ once again. He can truly think. His head rests against the soft grass of some planet. Earth, presumably. He'd truthfully be content to just lie here for a moment, and appreciate the fact that his plan has worked… except the sound of someone nasally clearing their throat causes him to shift his gaze to King Kai.

"Welcome back, _Goku._ " Well then. Zamasu didn't expect to be on the planet of a Kaioshin, let alone one familiar with Goku. This is certainly a bit of a tricky situation, given that it's already clear to Zamasu - from the tone used when King Kai referred to him as Goku - that there's a decently-hefty level of suspicion being thrown his way from the get-go.

Not yet saying anything, Zamasu gets to his feet with a grunt. He looks down to his arms, muscled - bulkier than he remembered Goku being in their fight - with the telltale blue wristbands that Goku had worn in their spar. Just as well as this, Zamasu takes note of the blue undershirt and orange gi that he's wearing.  
There's no doubt about it :He's Goku now.

Finally speaking, he once more meets King Kai's gaze. "Oh, hey…!" Darn, he doesn't know the blue Kaioshin's name! This is a complication that he didn't expect, and certainly not one that he had a plan for.

"Hey…?" King Kai crosses his arms, watching 'Goku' with an ever-so-increasingly suspicious gaze. The mannerisms of 'Goku' have taken a large shift since he fell over in pain, and everything is coming together to only further prove King Kai's suspicions.

"Don't try to play games with me - I know that it is no longer Son Goku who is standing before me in that body. All it took was the expressions on your face and the very feeling of your ki in order to discern this." Though this is the case, King Kai isn't necessarily hostile just yet. There's no way to definitively know what just happened and why the presence in Goku's body is no longer Goku.

After a moment of contemplation, Zamasu responds in kind, unnerved by the odd deepness of his voice. It's no doubt Goku's, but it has a sharper, more serious edge to it. Not gravelly, mind you. Almost as if he had lowered his voice to appear more threatening. "You're correct… however, I seem to be in an interesting set of circumstances, to be a mortal training on the planet of a Kaioshin. Would you mind filling me in on what's going on?"

Perhaps using his knowledge of the kais would be a tad much, however a false sense of compliance on this blue Kaioshin's end will certainly lessen the risk of his mind being read. Though he could likely guide the mind reading due to his own mental discipline, there is no telling just where he would have to guide it to in order to disguise his true plans and keep up his facade.

"..." King Kai narrows his eyes behind his circular glasses, responding in kind to not-Goku's question. "The Saiyajin whose body you are currently occupying was training in order to face an impending threat on his home planet. Two other Saiyajins are on their way to Earth in order to gather seven wish-granting orbs and use them for nefarious purposes. It seems only fitting to me that in this odd set of circumstances you would take his place in training and protecting the earth… just until we can figure out what's going on."

It's a bit much to push on someone, but if this mystery being has the knowledge of things in the Otherworld, they no doubt have some fighting experience. Either way, King Kai is cut off by a subtle tug on his conscience. King Kai seems to hone in on something, his antennae twitching and turning until he gets a connection.

' _What, if may ask, if the purpose of this?'_ King Kai thinks into the mental link, which he can feel four other presences in. Three are inherently clear and recognizable as the South, East, and West Kaioshin; however, the fourth one is more… threatening, almost.

' _ **I am the Supreme Kai. You may call me Shin.'**_ Well, that would explain it. King Kai instantly tenses up, however he says quiet. ' _ **I took notice of an instability in the space-time continuum, and after speaking with the other three Kaioskins that watch over the galaxy, it appears that the point of origin would be somewhere on your planet. Has anything suspicious recently occurred?'**_

' _Instability in the space-time continuum, huh…? In fact, something strange has just happened on my planet. The soul within Son Goku has been supplemented by an unknown being, who seems somewhat confused as to why he's here.'_ Silence fills the telepathic link for a moment, before Shin once more speaks up.

' _ **It's possible that this change in spirit is linked directly to the time-space anomaly, however it's impossible to know for sure unless this mystery spirit can tell you directly. Find out if they are the cause of this, and whether or not it was intentional - just keep in mind the consequences of intentional time travel.'**_ With that, the link is cut.

Time travel in any sort of intentional manner breaks one of the many laws of the Kaioshin, so for anyone to do it in such an irresponsible manner, on top of even time travelling to begin with, will no doubt be served a swift sentencing of some sort. Truthfully, King Kai hopes that it was unintentional, as the fate of a time traveler - though it's just a myth - is said to be life-long indebtment to a task force of fighters who correct time itself… though the more believable punishment is erasure.

During all of this, Zamasu has simply been getting a feel for his body and the energy within. A couple of things are standing out to him, and they're not boding well. For one, he's now certain that Son Goku was not this buff when they had met. Goku had the body of a fighter who had spent decades refining their body to be best-suited for fighting at high, potentially faster-than-light, speeds.  
This body was nowhere near that level of refinement.

The power of the body is another issue - even the most extreme case of spirit dissonance in a body change was only documented at leaving the fighter 10% of the body's original power for some time… so why is it that this body feels perhaps millions of times weaker?

As much as Zamasu would like to believe that his mind is playing tricks on him, the nail in the coffin is the mention of the Saiyajins. Zamasu had taken some time to get a brief overview of Goku's past, and a little more or less than twenty years prior to Zamasu meeting Goku, the latter had participated in a fight against two Saiyajins who came to earth for the same reason as this duo King Kai has mentioned: the Dragon Balls.

' _Have I accidentally traveled through time? But how is this possible? Could my vague wording in my wish truly have been this consequential?'_ A feeling of panic wells up in Zamasu. So close, yet so far! Twenty years far, to be exact. This body is many times weaker than his own; he would have had better luck trying to fulfil his plans, had he wished for something such as immortality!

These are things he'll _have_ to handle later, however, as it seems the blue Kaioshin wishes to speak to him.

"So, from what I can discern, you may be linked to some sort of time-space anomaly or some scientific mumbo-jumbo like that. You wouldn't happen to know of any way to time travel, and you especially wouldn't happen to have - of your own intentional will - traveled through time, would you?" King Kai is straight to the point, not wanting to leave any part of the question up for interpretation.

"I was not aware that what I did would send me through time, no, and what's more is that I otherwise only know of one way to travel through time, and it is a method that only the Kaioshin can use. I did not use it to get here." Once again, Zamasu is feeding cherry-picked information to King Kai.

"Is that so? Well, what were you doing prior to this?" King Kai pushes a bit, the phrasing which not-Goku had used ('I was not aware that **what I did** would send me through time') leading King Kai to believe that this is a bit less innocent than he was hoping.

' _Damn. Immediate suspicion is not what I need right now. I have to say something that'll get him to ease up or else I might be out of luck here.'_ Of course, Zamasu is in no mood to be erased or enslaved for travelling through time and altering the past - something he hadn't even done intentionally, mind you - and so he decides that another half-truth would be for the best.

"I fought the original inhabitant of this body - Son Goku, if I recall correctly - in a short spar. I was impressed by his powers, since for all the talk of Saiyajins being a powerful warrior race, they had for a long time been enslaved, and had their powers effectively crippled in the process. My emotions got the better of me, and so I gathered the Namekian dragon balls, and wished to switch bodies with him."

Zamasu takes a breath, having thought of referring to the _Namekian_ balls - the second-strongest set out of the three - at the last second, before continuing on with his half-baked story.

"I had only intended to change bodies with the Son Goku in the timeline that I hail from, however it seems that I chose a poor phrasing and have - as such - been hurled through time into the body of another Son Goku… with this one being much weaker." Would that be enough? Traveling through time is absurd enough on its own, and Zamasu's hopes are that this will help make his story more believable.

' _I don't see any big reason as to why he would lie. It's not impossible that this is someone evil in the body of Goku, but if he was to start causing trouble, there are certainly people in the Otherworld and in the living realm more than capable of stopping him. I think it's best if I give him a chance and simply see what he does in time.'_ King Kai finishes his moment of inner-debate, and looks to not-Goku with a less serious gaze.

"Tell me your real name, since I can't go around calling you not-Goku or Notku all the time, now can I?" Perhaps funny to him, though not funny to anyone else, King Kai snorts a little at his 'Notku' comment. Zamasu wonders if it would be wise to give his real name, but relents. After all, even if they do confront the Zamasu of this universe, he held far less extreme views towards mortals at this point.

"Zamasu." He clears his throat once more. "My apologies; this voice is deeper and holds a different accent than the one that I'm accustomed to." Seriously, this voice is going to take some getting used to.

"Well, Zamasu. I'm glad that we've been able to clear up the confusion around your arrival. While we could potentially have the Namekians wish you back into your proper body, I feel that it would pose the risk of another incorrect swap. It wouldn't be impossible, so for now we'll refrain from wishing you back to your timeline. You'll instead - as I mentioned earlier - take Goku's place as my pupil." Zamasu nods in a response to King Kai's statement.

"However. In order to train under me, you must show that you have a versatile set of skills. You will do this… by entertaining my muse for humor. Tell me a joke and make me laugh, and I will begin to train you."

' _This… is going to be a long year…'_ Zamasu feels some sweat roll down the side of his face, but he utters out the first joke that he can think of. "A-hem… what uh… what did the wall say to the ceiling? I'll… meet you at the corner…?" Zamasu laughs nervously, watching King Kai with a careful gaze. The blue Kaioshin stares back for a moment… before bursting into a fit of laughter!

"Ahah… hah…" Wiping away some tears and adjusting his glasses, King Kai lets out one final snort. "That joke was definitely acceptable… which means we should discuss your training. Your first week will be entirely meditation, to assist in getting you accustomed to this new body. I have no doubt that you're feeling some degree of dissociation to the world around you, and perhaps even to the body itself. This is normal, and the training we'll be having you do will assist in nullifying that."

"I originally intended to teach you two of my techniques, but to make up for the time that we'll lose I will forego the Spirit Bomb and simply teach you the Kaio-Ken, as it's a far more useful technique." The mention of the Kaio-Ken sparks familiarity in Zamasu, and he thinks back to the video on Godtube…

-BSM-

" **Now I'll show you the Kaio-Ken!"** With a yell, Goku's aura bursts to life, an almost beautiful mix of blue and red as he stands before Hit. Nothing externally has changed aside from his aura, however the pressure of his presence in Blue has only amplified.

He turns the tides on Hit with relative ease from here, even going so far as to increase his multiplier to ten times. In the end, the fight ends in a stalemate… but there's no denying that Goku displayed a frightening level of power. Even Zamasu acknowledged that.

-BSM-

' _The Kaio-Ken technique will be invaluable to my plans. It will be more than wise for me to stick around and train to learn this technique.'_ Zamasu smirks confidently, nodding. "Alright. Let's get this next week of meditation over with then, so I can get that technique down for the fight to come." Seems like the Saiyajin blood coursing through the veins of Zamasu's new body is having some degree of effect on him.

Though that begs the question: Just how much of an effect will it have as time goes on?

 **End, Prologue**

Thank you all for reading to the end, and please be sure to let me know what you think. Feedback is important to me since the story can only get better with your help!


	2. Chapter 1 - Training for the Saiyajins

Body Snatching Mishap, Chapter 1

About half a week has passed since Zamasu ended up in the body of the wrong Goku, and slightly less since he has begun his meditation and image training. With the image training alone, Zamasu has shown fairly notable leaps and bounds towards his full strength, however minor they might have been in the grand scheme of things. From the looks of how things are going, he'll need to make far more leaps and bounds in order to get to this body's full strength.

Of course, the excess time required in order to 'regain' his power is definitely beginning to get to him. It's taken conscious effort not to lash out at the North Kai in his frustrations, having multiple close calls wherein he even got so far as to almost summon forth a ki blade; his only saving grace is that with the dissonance between body and mind, he wasn't able to do so. This has made one of his prime goals - aside from gaining control of this body's power - to get a better handle on his temper.

With image training taking up a majority of the time that he doesn't spend sleeping or eating at this point, it doesn't give him any real leftover time to put into his anger management, however… Speaking of image training.

Zamasu frantically blocks blow after blow, an Image Goku relentlessly assaulting him with punches and kicks. Of course, this Goku is limited to be about on par with Zamasu's current level of power in Goku's body, however even with what should be an even fight he's still losing horribly. Without a good feel for the rhythms and motions of this body, he's fighting against both Goku and himself, as his movements find themselves far stiffer and harder to follow through with.

Goku swings his foot out and sweeps Zamasu's legs from beneath him. Time almost appears to slow down, with Goku lunging to land a powerful punch square in the off-guard Zamasu's gut - a finishing blow, for sure. Adrenaline floods every corner of Zamasu's body, though, and he finds the power within himself to twist his body in mid-air, dodging the punch just barely. He slams his palm against the ground, swinging his leg and kneeing Goku in the side.

Goku is sent flying back, moving to recover into a crouch. The copy of Goku holds his side, chuckling weakly as if to show that he's impressed.

' _What was that? It's almost like my body moved on its own…'_ Zamasu takes a deep breath, before rushing forward. The adrenaline has almost taken over his ability to move, as he finds his body moving fluidly in ways that he doesn't fully recognize, and yet feel so familiar to him. Within seconds he's before Goku, his own fist clashing with the image's before they're locked in a frantic flurry of punches and kicks, clashing and coming out equal on both sides.

Eventually, one of Goku's hits get through as the initial burst of adrenaline fades, but Zamasu counters with a blow of his own. The two find themselves each with a fist slammed into their cheek, and they're both sent flying back in opposite directions. Zamasu grips the ground, creating small trenches as he slows to a halt. Goku's opted for skidding to a halt on his feet, and they both launch forward.

Zamasu comes in headfirst, and Goku comes in with his leg reared back. Goku swings his leg forward to kick Zamasu in the chest, and Zamasu throws is fist forward in a haymaker aimed for Goku's face. His eyes bug out and he coughs up spittle and watches through blurred vision as his fist falls just short of Goku.

With a resounding boom, he crashes into the ground after being sent back tens of meters, simply lying there for the moment as he tries to catch his breath. The excess burst of adrenaline has left him, but he isn't done yet!

He can sense Goku coming for him, and he can feel the subtle vibrations in the ground. His body urges for him to get up. To fight! With a yell, he throws himself to his feet, instantly throwing a flurry of punches and kicks the moment Goku is in range. A renewed sense of vigor has filled Zamasu, yet he can't identify where it's from.

With a powerful shout, he buries his fist in Goku's gut, kicking him away and rushing forward to capitalize on his actions. Goku blocks the punch that follows, parrying the one after that and littering Zamasu's chest with rapid jabs.

Zamasu takes every hit with a small noise of pain, but he's able to duck under the heavier blow that Goku had prepared. On pure instinct, he lunges forward and headbutts Goku in the chest, tackling him to the ground and leaping up above him. He unleashes a powerful barrage of energy blasts down upon Goku, kicking up dust and dirt as he does so.

Goku launches from within the smoke, his hands cupped at his side with a blindingly bright ball of blue energy contained between them. Zamasu's eyes grow wide, as Goku chants the syllables to his attack.

" **Kamehame… HA!** " The blast envelops Zamasu, and just as he thinks he's going to die-

-BSM-

Zamasu lets out a pained gasp, sitting cross-legged on King Kai's planet. Sweat drips down his body, and his breathing is surprisingly ragged for having just come out of image training, as opposed to any full-body training outside of the mind. Looking down at his hands, he observes a slow tremoring, before his attention is caught by the sound of King Kai clearing his throat.

"What's so funny?" Zamasu's eyes met a large grin on King Kai's face, and the ex-apprentice Kaioshin's mind equated it to amusement. King Kai, however, shakes his head in response.

"Nothing, aside from the faces you make while you're in image training. I swear that you look constipated half of the time." King Kai snorts, once more shaking his head a little in order to regain his composure. "However, you seemed to unlock a bit more of your energy during that fight. It rose out of nowhere, on the tail end of this image training session. It wasn't a large boost, but believe me when I say that it was bigger than the boosts you've had so far."

King Kai gives Zamasu a moment to let that sink in, cleaning off his glasses a little before continuing. "As I said, this _will,_ without a doubt, be a long and difficult road to getting you full control of the power in this body. When the end of this week comes, I think that it will be for the best to go straight into teaching you the Kaio-Ken technique; who know, you might be able to use it to completely overcome the difference in power you'd otherwise have."

"...I see." Zamasu nods, glancing back down at his hands with a neutral expression. "Well then, perhaps I should simply rest for ten minutes then get back to image training. I imagine that I'll want to have as much power as I can by the time I reach the end of the week." He pushes to his feet, legs feeling like they could give out underneath him. It seems as if he's pushed this body to its limits for the moment, especially with his recent frequency of image training.

"I would advise strongly against it." King Kai responds. "You're not dead, but instead in a living body; if you were dead, you would be capable of pushing yourself far further, but because you're in a living body you have to remember to rest. Too much training will - instead of making you grow stronger like you desire - weaken or even cripple you." Aside from the actual act of training, King Kai had taken notice that Zamasu is a very neutral person.

' _Perhaps he simply intends to fulfil the responsibilities he's been forced into with this body, then go on his own. I wouldn't blame him… Nobody wants to feel forced to live out a life that isn't theirs. Though, he brought this on himself with such a foolish wish.'_ King Kai furrows his brows, observing as Zamasu makes his way towards the small house on the equally small planet, no doubt intending to lie down and rest after such a heavy session of image training.

' _Maybe I'll be able to find out in due time…'_ Maybe being the key word. It's not as if King Kai can just force Zamasu to talk. After all, torture was not in King Kai's repertoire of knowledge, and even if it was he likely would never even consider it.

-BSM-

It's now the end of the week, and Zamasu is to shift from meditation and image training to physical training and being taught the Kaio-Ken technique, come the next morning. For now though, he's going at Goku in another bout of image training, and fortunately for him it's going marginally better than the fight that he had earlier on in the week.

He blocks a short series of punches from Goku, dodging a kick and slipping a couple hits in on Goku's side. The image Goku is staggered, allowing for Zamasu to go in for a stronger blow. He rears his fist back, throwing it forwards and launching Goku with a direct blow to the cheek, but Goku quickly recovers, flipping in the air and managing to land on his hands and the tips of his boots.

Zamasu chuckles, smirking and moving forward to continue the fight, the Goku image doing the same. ' _This is fantastic! I didn't expect my progress to be this great within the first week, and beyond that I didn't expect to feel this comfortable with the mortal's fighting style!'_ He takes a punch to the gut, but sweeps Goku's feet out from under him.

' _It's far more refined than I had thought at first glance!'_ He attempts to drop a sledgehammer blow, but he hits through an afterimage, the _real_ image Goku above him with his hands cupped at his sides. "Kamehameha!" The Kamehameha wave is unleashed, but Zamasu is prepared.

He moves his hand in a slicing motion, a low hum produced as a rose-colored ki blast bursts forth around his arm. He slices the Kamehameha in half, pleased to know that he's becoming more adept with his ki blade. It's a rather simple move, but with his clumsy ki control earlier in the week it hadn't been possible - no doubt it'll still be harder to do when he fights with his body for real.

Zamasu leaps up between the halves of the Kamehameha, his ki blade disappearing while he throws a disabling punch to Goku's solar plexus, rotating his body and slamming both heels into Goku's back. The Saiyajin crashes towards the ground, and Zamasu fires a rather generic-looking energy wave down at him. A yell of pain is followed by dust and smoke, and Zamasu - learning his lesson form one of his prior image training sessions - drops to the ground and waits a small distance from the smoke.

From within the smoke, a bloodies Goku rushes forth, appearing more aggressive and perhaps more powerful. Zamasu's caught off-guard, and finds himself locked in a heavy-hitting combination of punches and kicks. Goku releases a low shout, shoving his palm into Zamasu's own solar plexus. Instead of flying back, he buries his heels in the ground, gripping Goku's arm and slamming the elbow of his free arm down onto Goku's. With a crack, Goku falls to the ground, and is kicked away by Zamasu.

' _Pathetic.'_ Zamasu slowly walks towards Goku, ready to finish things off… but, try as he might, he finds himself unable to place a killing blow. With a low growl of frustration, he ends the image training session.

Sitting cross-legged on the grass, he looks around for King Kai. King Kai appears to be nowhere in sight, but extending his senses reveals to Zamasu that the Kai he's looking for is simply inside of the small shack. From the smells he's smelling, it's likely that lunch is being made. A small smile actually forms, as he pushes to his feet with a grunt - for some reason he still feels fairly weighted down in the gravity, even if he should be used to it by now - and makes his way towards the house to confirm his suspicions.

Indeed, King Kai is making quite the feast of rice and pork, as well as what appears to be some kind of bean tacos. A bit different from the usual rice and pork lunches, but not an altogether unpleasant surprise. ' _Training here hasn't been too bad so far…'_ Though his gaze is neutral and somewhat calculative, an unintentional smile makes its way onto his face - unbeknownst to him it wasn't the first, and it will be far from the last.

"Oh, how was the image training?" King Kai asks while he cooks, seeming rather preoccupied. "I felt your power wavering a little bit out there; it got a bit drained towards the end. I imagine today was a fairly hefty training session against the image of Goku?"

"Yeah, it got a little bit heated by the end. Both of us ended up pretty beaten up, but I actually managed to win this time. Granted, it took some breaking of bones, but I'm getting there. Pretty odd, though, that he suddenly increased in power during the fight." Zamasu notices a slight hesitation when he mentions breaking of bones, and rightfully so since the action itself is just a bit cringe-worth.

"I see; try not to break bones in your image training. It'll teach you for when you come across a real opponent. If you fight to cripple in your core fighting style then there's no honor, and though it will become useful to be as ruthless as you can against the upcoming Saiyajin threat, you don't want that ruthlessness to translate into everyday actions such as sparring matches."

King Kai finishes preparing the meal, and turns to face Zamasu. "Anyways. We'll work on that in the months to come - it will be helpful for your training if you not only practice use of the Kaioken, but spar with me in the meantime. So make sure you get your fill of sleep tonight, because you're definitely going to need it!" With that, King Kai and Zamasu sit down to eat in relative silence.

-BSM-

Zamasu jogs around the entirety of King Kai's planet, constantly being chased by the bright red car King Kai is so proud of. Tough it had been a few weeks since he switched from mental training to physical training - though he still finds time to squeeze in a short image training round or two - it feels as if _nothing_ has changed! His reaction time is faster, and he's been able to integrate the style he uses in image training as his own style to varying degrees of success, but he still feels weighed down.

' _This damned weighted gear is really getting on my nerves. That Kai told me that I'd "barely even acknowledge their existence soon enough", but it's been weeks and I still feel them weighing down on me like my entire outfit is made of katchin!'_ Indeed, his weighted gear is the culprit, however it's for a reason that Zamasu himself is actually unaware of.

You see, every night, when Zamasu finally conks out, King Kai uses the same magic he used to repair Zamasu's clothes in order to subtly increase the weights. Always just enough to keep him substantially weighed down, but never enough to rouse suspicion. At worst, King Kai decided, it would urge Zamasu to train harder and surpass the limits that he's seeing before him. He wasn't _wrong_ with the strategy, but it's beginning to fester and become a boiling anger.

' _Damnit..!'_ Zamasu's legs shake as he struggles to keep his pace, having counted about ninety-eight laps so far. Sweat drips down every inch of his form, his gi clinging in various places while his spiky hair has even matted down somewhat, a feat hard to achieve with Saiyajin hair. His vision has even begun to pulse, burring in and out of focus as he passes the ninety-ninth mark lap mark. With a yell of frustration, he slams his foot into the ground, cracking the tiles and alarming King Kai as he launches himself forward. Again, and again, and _again!_ With a few more short bursts of power, Zamasu tumbles to a stop, having made his 100th lap around King Kai's planet… just barely.

' _Amazing. Just when you think he's outta gas, he surprises you and goes above and beyond while running on nothing more than fumes…'_ King Kai parks his car, approaching Zamasu. The body snatcher lies on the ground, trying to will himself to move but failing.

"C-come on…" Zamasu growls out, pushing his hands harder against the ground, veins pulsing in his forearms. "Come on!" When his efforts prove fruitless, he gives in, panting whilst he simply lies there on his stomach. A shadow obscures the light behind him, though, and King Kai is standing in front of him a moment later, hand outstretched.

"That ending was pretty impressive. I didn't expect you to have that kind of speed or power left in you; you seemed like you were on empty for the last few laps, y'know." King Kai grabs Zamasu's hand - now weakly outstretched - and assists the pseudo-Saiyajin to his feet… which, of course, he can barely stand on without wobbling and swaying.

"I… don't know… how I did that either…" Zamasu sluggishly pulls his arm up, wiping sweat from his brow. ' _Is this what makes the body of Son Goku so special? Its ability to be pushed above and beyond the limits it was intended to reach?'_ Zamasu thinks back to a specific fight he had managed to observe through old recordings.

-BSM-

"I… I've gotta risk it!" Goku's muscles tense in resistance, his body occasionally shocked by a small flash of red electricity. A red aura bursts forth, and he grunts. "A t-three times Kaio-Ken…" He thrusts his hands out in front of him in a jerky motion. "Gh- Kamehameha!" His hands go to his side as he speaks; with no time to waste, he quickly begins to chant the syllables to his technique.

" **Ka… me…. Ha…!"**

" _It's hopeless! There's no way you can stop my Galick Gun!"_ Vegeta taunts from high in the sky, building up power for his signature attack.

" **Me…!"**

" _Prepare to join this filthy orb in oblivion! Galick-Gun, FIRE!"_

" **HAAA!"**

The two beams extend from the fighters' hands, clashing in the sky with a powerful thunderclap. Neither wants to give, but Goku is on the losing end. With his body already pushed to his limit, he utters the four words that would change history.

"K-Kaio-Ken… **times four!** "

-BSM-

In that state that Goku had been in, it was insanely stupid and risky to go so heavy with the Kaio-Ken. Zamasu especially knows this with all of the pre-emptive explanations that King Kai has given, especially stressing to never take the technique beyond the second stage, or the third if things are truly dire. For Goku to take it to the fourth level is crazy!

But it only proves something… whether it's the being in the body, or the body itself, the pure desire to surpass his own limits contributes greatly to why Goku ended up as strong as he did… such a philosophy would almost be… respectable, if it weren't for Goku being a filthy mortal.

Zamasu chuckles weakly, his eyes rolling back as he falls. King Kai catches the unconscious fighter, grumbling a little as he carefully lugs the sweaty heap of flesh and bone into his home to rest. ' _What am I going to do with this guy; the way he trains is bordering suicidal… but I guess I'm partially at fault for that with my weighted clothing shenanigans…'_

King Kai holds out a hand, wafting away the sweat dirt that's accumulated on Zamasu, his gi weighing him down ever so slightly more as the weight is increased.

' _I'll begin to train him in the art of the Kaio-Ken by the week's end. He's ready; I'll just have to be sure that he doesn't push himself too far. It would be much smarter to save the earthings' dragon balls for the case of losing fighters in the battle as opposed to their front-runner accidentally tearing his body apart and turning it to pure energy while training.'_

-BSM-

Zamasu releases a roaring yell, red electricity arcing around his body as he pushes into the first stage of the Kaioken. His body feels as if it's on fire, and it looks like it too as his aura comes to life around him, flaring out and releasing a startling amount of heat.

"Yes, just like that!" King Kai grins with pride, watching as his pupil activates the Kaio-Ken technique successfully for the first time. He had come close in the month of training they've done thus far, but for the most part they've relied heavily on strengthening his form to handle the strain that the Kaio-Ken puts the uder under. In that department, they've clearly succeeded.

' _My body feels like it's being torn apart and cooked from the inside!'_ Zamasu's right eye twitches, small bits and pieces of his gi burning away as he begins to lose his control on the power-heavy state. With a pained cry, he drops from the Kaio-Ken, arms hanging limp at his sides while he slouches forward. "Hah... that was intense… more than anything I've experienced in my life, even this training!" He coughs a little, having certainly stressed his body by maintaining it for more than a few seconds.

"Be very careful, Zamasu - you may have the ability to summon the strength, but the longer you hold it the more of a toll it takes on your body. You'll have to adjust to the Kaio-Ken in very small bursts, and build up your body's tolerance for sudden rises in power. Doing so will allow you to utilize the technique more efficiency and maintain the first and second levels for longer." Talking about the second level when Zamasu can barely handle the first… That's an interestingly confident point of view.

' _He's right… but at the same time, I can't forget what I saw while reviewing those tapes… Son Goku increased his power by forcing himself to surpass his limits. I'll have to train myself above and beyond the second stage of the Kaio-Ken to improve my strength in a similar manner. To do so I can't spend time babying my body and doing only bursts of a second.'_

As for the tapes he's referring to… Prior to making his wish with the Super Dragon Balls, Zamasu had threatened Zuno into telling him a surefire way to gather information on Goku and his fighting style. He was directed to the destroyed remains of a laboratory on earth, which was agonizingly painful for him to reach. To be on earth, so close to the likes of Goku and yet unable to use any more than a tiny fraction of his ki, it was truly frustrating.

With careful actions as to not alert anyone to his presence, he soon had arrived at the crumbled remains of a mountainside lab. Within was mostly debris, however a small blast-proof container of small data drives had survived, and mounted on top was a working monitor. WIth that, he was able to watch Goku's fights from childhood, all the way up to the likes of Cell and even - for a short time - Buu. To see that 'Vegetto' being was truly disgusting. For mortals to utilize the power of a god in such a manner had angered him.

"Understood." Still, it doesn't hurt to play a role, telling a little white lie to soothe the worries of King Kai. After all, if King Kai feels that Zamasu is a risk to himself, then he may not provide the same level of guidance that he has thus far. Zamasu takes slow, deep breaths, attempting to restore the calm flow to his ki which his useage of the Kaio-Ken technique had interrupted.

As soon as this calmness is restored, Zamasu attempts to tap into the power of the Kaio-Ken state once more. He releases a fierce cry as his muscles tighten and then bulge, and the rush of power returns. He jumps up into the air, throwing a quick flurry of punches and kicks; he drops to the ground, leaping and throwing himself around the planet.

In the following moment, his muscles tense, and he takes that as the signal to end his quick usage of the Kaio-Ken, digging his heels into the grass and managing to stop his momentum with relative ease… though he certainly tears up some grass in the process.

' _This is going to be a long few months of training at this rate.'_ Zamasu's body twitches in mild resistance, though he's still quite able to move. "I assume we'll continue with the durability training, and incorporate the Kaio-Ken into it. I feel that you may want to increase my weights, so that use of the Kaio-Ken will be more of a necessity." King Kai feels some sweat drip down his forehead at the mention of the weights, but shakes it off and nods.

"I admire your tenacity." His antennas stiffen, and Zamasu finds the weight he's under suddenly amplify, forcing him to his knees. "I'll increase the weight when you're used to this level. By the time you're done with this training, the power you had when you initially 'arrived' will be nothing!" With that, King Kai is able to see a genuine grin on Zamasu's face.

-BSM-

It has been a couple of months since the start of his training with Kaio-Ken, and with that Zamasu has shown impressive promise and progress. Even so, it _felt_ like he wasn't making much progress at all, thanks to the sneaky ways of King Kai. Unbeknownst to either of them, though, a fortunate side effect of Zamasu being a living being as opposed to dead had begun to come into play.

You see, Goku was incapable of getting Zenkais during his training because he was dead. It's impossible to get near-death if one is already dead. Fortunately for Zamasu, he _isn't_ dead, meaning that he's actually reaping in the benefits of the occasional Zenkai. Whether or not it will be enough to make up for the power held back due to the mind-body-spirit dissonance or not is up in the air, but if it is enough, will it perhaps surpass the strength Goku had?

Either way, Zamasu is running around the planet, sweating bullets as he tries to maintain the first stage of the Kaio-Ken. ' _15…'_ He counts the seconds that he's been in the form,. Leaping into the air and throwing a flurry of punches and kicks. ' _16…'_ He twists his body, firing a powerful energy blast that would curve around the planet. ' _17…'_ He spins around, one foot barely touching the ground, before he thrusts out his hands. His forward momentum ceases as he catches his own blast, grunting out as it burns his hands a little.

' _18…!'_ His muscles begin to twitch and seize up, but he persists. He tosses the blast into the sky, leaping up into the air after it. His hand goes out to his side, veins bulging on his arm. ' _19…!'_ His arm undergoes a violent spasm as a ki blade forms around it, and he manages to slice clean through his blast before having to drop from the amplified state of the Kaio-Ken. ' _20!'_

"Gah-!" He grabs at his arm, slowly lowering himself to the ground as various parts of his body twitch ever so slightly. It wasn't a smart move on his part to push himself so hard… but if he can manage twenty seconds in the first level of Kaio-Ken, it bodes well for what he can do in the second change. His thought process is that he needs to be able to handle each stage exponentially better. So he might be able to handle ten seconds in Stage 2, five seconds in Stage 3, and so on.

In this universe, the Kaio-Ken is effectively half the power of the one Zamasu saw Goku use. He learned this when the first level didn't double his power like he expected it to - he'll be able to confirm it as he trains with the higher stages, but he makes a mental note to keep from expecting everything to be the same, both with techniques and transformations, as well as the progression of events such as the attack of the Saiyajins.

"Wonderful work, Zamasu!" King Kai applauds, clapping. He had seen the whole display, and it was certainly a sight to behold. "Your previous best was around sixteen or seventeen seconds. Good improvement, but you have to remember how fragile your body is in comparison to the havoc the Kaio-Ken can wreak upon it - I never thought that I'd say this, but if you're going for durability I would try working on the higher levels in short bursts instead of trying to see how long you can handle the first stage.

If you're trying to improve your chance with the higher levels like this, it's a good strategy, but sooner or later you need to work with the second stage. Otherwise, you might not be in for the shock of stress and power accompanying it." King Kai adjusts his glasses, looking over Zamasu. "You're in for an upgrade in wardrobe, my boy.

' _I think I'll tailor the outfit to his tastes… whatever they are.'_ King Kai's antennae extend, glowing as Zamasu is washed in a faint white light. The gi on his figure shifts its shape and color, wristbands and sleeves conjoining as the undershirt becomes a purple. His gi top and pants likewise become a grey-black, his belt becoming a sky blue. His boots' main color becomes purple, while the red lines become sky blue.

Zamasu looks down at his outfit. ' _How peculiar… it's styled in colors like my old outfit.'_ He pulls on the sleeves a little, finding that the fabric is heavy and tough as ever. ' _I like it.'_ Zamasu looks to King Kai with a light grin. "Thank you - this is appreciated; it reminds me of my old clothing." Of course, that's all that he'll say about his old clothing, but it makes it clear how sentimental the outfit has become.

"I'm glad to see that I haven't lost my touch. Anyways; we'll break for lunch, then you'll do some laps and practice with the Kaio-Ken more." Zamasu nods at this statement, and both he and King Kai head for the latter's small home.

-BSM-

Zamasu's body trembles, and sweat drips from his brow. Wind whips fiercly around him, burning a patch of the grass as his muscles tense and bulge. " **Haaaaaa!** " He grits his teeth, snarling lowly before roaring out the name of the technique. "KAIO-KEN, _STAGE TWO!_ " Zamasu watches King Kai carefully, the blue Kaioshin staring him down while enveloped in the red of his own Kaioken.

With a sudden lunge from both, they meet in the middle, small thunderclaps bursting forth as they clash. King Kai blocks and dodges every punch with ease, using his smaller stature to his advantage as he throws a heavy blow into Zamasu's gut with relative ease. He takes a kick to the side of the head, though, and both are sent flying in different directions.

Zamasu fires off a couple of energy blasts, dropping from the second stage of Kaio-Ken into the first. From the look of it, the first stage increases his power by fifty percent, and the second stage doubles it. However, he can handle the first stage for alot longer.

King Kai takes the blasts, leaping high into the sky and swiping his hand down, releasing a line of blasts all honed in on Zamasu. Zamasu crosses his arms over his face, taking the blasts head-on, and leaping back just in time to avoid a strike from King Kai. He blocks various blows, but is effectively overpowered and outskilled.

Taking a heavy strike to the face and a foot to the chest, he would have been sent back if not for his heels digging into the terrain - bending backwards, Zamasu dodges a followup punch, grabbing King Kai by the twist and throwing him sky-high as he straightens out.

WIth a yell, he launches up and makes a small crater in the ground directly beneath him. King Kai recovers just in time to counter; he dodges the punch and uses Zamasu's own momentum against him, chopping the back of Zamasu's neck - effectively dropping him from the Kaio-Ken - before rotating and delivering a double axe-kick to send the body-snatcher to the ground.

The blue kaioshin drops from the Kaio-Ken, panting and cracking his neck. ' _Training with Zamasu has really shaken away the rust!'_ Indeed, King Kai has been sparring with Zamasu on and off since he started teaching his pupil how to properly utilize the Kaio-Ken. Both fighters have grown stronger by effect… of course Zamasu wouldn't know, weighted clothing and all.

' _We only have a little more than a month left now… Here's to hoping the training I've put him through thus far, and will put him through in the next month, will be enough to destroy the Saiyajin threat…'_ King Kai lands on the ground, intending to recover the unconscious form of his student.

' _It has to be, if the Earth is to survive.'_

End, Chapter 1

Author's Note: Whoo, that took longer than I expected it to… but the chapter is also longer, so that's a plus! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know if I made any sort of mistake while writing this, as I have been doing it over the span of two weeks. Once more, sorry for the wait - I kind of let the outline just sit stagnant for a week. ^^'

I'd appreciate if you could leave feedback. Every bit helps!


	3. Chapter 2 - The Saiyajins Arrive

Body Snatching Mishap, Chapter 2

Less than a month remains until Zamasu is to go to earth and fight the Saiyajins, and there's still an important matter that King Kai had opted to leave un-settled until now: Informing the Z-fighters of what's occurred. The only reason he _did_ put it off like so, is because he felt it was best to suss out whether or not Zamasu would be willing to cooperate before going ahead and telling those on earth that he'd be fighting alongside them.

As far as he can tell, Zamasu has been and will be plenty compliant, and it certainly helps that he's - to a small degree - opened up emotionally over his time on the planet. Where he wouldn't have made any sort of expression and instead would have been closed off upon his initial arrival, Zamasu is now willing to freely crack smiles… even if he doesn't quite realize it himself.

King Kai now approaches Zamasu, who's doing one of many laps around the planet. "Zamasu, my boy!" He calls out, the body snatcher slowing to a halt as he comes up to King Kai. "There's a matter that we have to settle now that I've been putting off throughout the time you've been training here." His expression is serious, which does admittedly make Zamasu nervous - had he been found out?

"The friends and family of Son Goku will be fighting the Saiyajins on earth alongside you; because of that, I feel that it's for the best that I inform them of what's happened. I only put it off for this long because I felt the need to see if you would be cooperative or not." King Kai can see the nervousness, and now the hesitation, on his pupil's face. Both of those things are fairly understandable in this situation, however.

"...I guess this is something that's inevitable. Better for them to find out now so that they can coordinate their strategy around it, as opposed to finding out about me on the battlefield." Zamasu responds, keeping his voice monotone and level to avoid betraying any emotion. ' _I should have considered that this would be happening any day now; here I am, with no idea what to say.'_

Zamasu and King Kai stand one in front of the other, Zamasu's hand on King Kai's back. The blue kaio's antennae twitch and search for a short time, before creating a link between _all_ of the Z-fighters, as well as Piccolo and Gohan. It feels foreign to Zamasu, for so many mental presences to be so close to his own, bare.

He frowns, but doesn't dare portray his taste over his thoughts. Everyone would hear it, and that wouldn't be a good way to kick things off. Fortunately for him, King Kai starts to speak before he can think anything compromising.

"This is King Kai, the Kaioshin that Goku came to train with in Other World. I'm afraid that I have some bad news." He takes a deep breath, not looking forward to the reactions that he's going to get. "I have to request that the lot of you don't panic, and allow me to explain in full before you say or ask anything. What I have to say won't be easy, and it will be quite the hard pill to swallow.

Son Goku's body is no longer his, in the most literal sense." Already, a tense tone hangs in the telepathic link. Confusion, fear, shock… King Kai can feel it all, but he continues on. "You see, very early on in Goku's training on my planet, it came to be that he and an, at the time, unknown being had switched bodies. From the conversations i've had with the said being, it appears to me that he had no malicious intent in his actions - he was simply impressed enough with Goku's physical ability to the point of trying to switch bodies.

Be that as it may, his actions were undeniably wrong, and so he has agreed to fight alongside you all to make up for it, when the Saiyajins arrive - however, because _this_ Goku's body wasn't even the one he intended to steal, I fear that we cannot get Goku back in the right body, in fear of bringing the wrong Goku into this body."

When King Kai finishes, it's not hard to tell that there are a wide array of emotions going through the minds and hearts of those involved. Whether it be simply frustration or rage, nobody - not even Piccolo - has been spared from some degree of emotion. Friend or foe, Goku as they know him is gone, and has now been replaced by this body snatcher!

Before Zamasu can ask why he was personally needed for this, King Kai glances over his shoulder back at him. "It's your turn to speak." Well then. That would answer his question, for sure. Zamasu is at a loss, not sure what exactly to say considering the circumstances. What _can_ he say that won't instantly out his true personality, and put all the work he put into fitting in to waste?

It's with hesitance, inevitably, but Zamasu tries his hardest to piece together something that sounds genuine. "I… apologize - this was now how I had intended for things to go, and while I intended to end up in the body of Son Goku, this was not the intended body; however, I'm sure that is no comfort to you." Zamasu once more dons the weak facade he had often used with Gowasu, feigning a degree of compassion and understanding.

"Nevertheless, to begin trying to make up for the domino effect of my actions, I will be fighting alongside the rest of you in the upcoming fight against the Saiyajins... I'm sure that we all wish for the best possible result, and because of that I request that we all try to put aside just how I got here until after the fight is won." When the fight is won, of course, Zamasu plans to leave. They don't need to know that, though.

The heavy degree of tension still hangs in the air as Zamasu's statement comes to a close, but Zamasu's words do ring true: If they want to come out of this with as few casualties as possible, then their best bet is to put aside any differences they may have until the fight has been won. The body-snatching issue will be handled soon thereafter.

"However… there is some good news." King Kai thought it might be best to keep the silver lining secret until the end of the conversation, so that ti could at least end on a positive note. "Zamasu here seems to have kept his life force when he transferred bodies, meaning that your wish on the Dragon Balls - intended to wish Son Goku back to life - can be used to bring back fallen comrades, if anyone is lost in the approaching fight."

"I'll end this so that the lot of you can discuss matters amongst yourself. I apologize that this has happened, but I assure you that Zamasu is doing everything in his power to make things right for what he has done." With that, King Kai ends the telepathic link.

-BSM-

Things are especially tense on the lookout, where Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, and Chiaotzu have been training. Glances are exchanged between the four, and none dare to break the silence. Kami is the first to speak on the lookout.

"While it is unfortunate that we have lost Goku, it only means that we will have to take drastic measures in this fight, in the event that the being who has taken his body lacks the abilities needed to win." Kami nearly digs his staff into the ground, eyeing the four and speaking his next words with an air of uncertainty about him.

"Which of you would like to be the first to drink the Ultra Divine Water?"

-BSM-

Gohan and Piccolo both simply sit on opposite sides of the campfire, Piccolo's face void of emotion while Gohan sobs with his knees hugged to his chest. ' _Damnit… The one time I depend on you for certain victory and you have to go and get your body snatched, Son…'_ The son of the Demon King snarls, holding himself back from simply shooting off into the sky and training to calm himself.

His gaze shifts to Gohan. He can't leave the kid alone; first he finds out that his father is dead, and now he finds out that there's no way for Goku to ever come back. Fantastic. These tears, Piccolo believes to be justified. It's no longer as simple as a wish on the Dragon Balls.

"...I'm s-" Piccolo cuts himself off. Showing weakness like this will benefit nobody. "...You can have the rest of the night off from training, but tomorrow we will start up twice as fiercely. I don't know about you, but there's no way that I'm going to depend on some body-snatcher being able to use your father's body to its fullest."

-BSM-

It's now the end of the month. There's no time left for training or refining techniques. The only alotted time left is one for a test: a test of skill and strength between master and pupil. Loud explosions and thunderclaps litter the area around King Kai's planet, as Zamasu and King Kai go at it.

The two have been sparing for quite some time now, neither even daring to tap into the power of the Kaioken yet. Due to Zamasu's weights, the power advantage is in King Kai's favor, but it would be a mistake to assume that Zamasu is on the losing side of things. In fact, the two are quite equal.

Zamasu ducks under a blow from King Kai, dropping to the ground and shoving his feet up to catch the Kaio in the jaw. King Kai is sent flying, but - as Zamasu comes in to follow up on his attack - sends a short burst of ki blasts the body-snatcher's way.

Zamasu shields his face, preventing himself from seeing King Kai shoot a powerful energy wave directly opposite the direction he would have to in order to make a direct hit. The two find themselves locked in a quick clash of punches and kicks, but it's ended when the aforementioned blast finishes going around the planet, burning a hole in the back of Zamasu's shirt as it makes contact.

' _Damnit, where in the hell did that come from-?!'_ Zamasu is thrown to the ground by an axe kick to the head, kicking up dust and dirt in the wake of his imapct.

"I have to say, that was a clever strategy… It took me a moment to figure it out, but now that I have you can rest assured that it won't work again-!" Zamasu's monologuing is cut short as King Kai comes in with a punch, pushing Zamasu back a few feet.

"In battle, an opponent only needs to trick you once to turn the tide of the battle in their favor!" Zamasu is now on the defensive, as King Kai attacks relentlessly, not giving him a moment to breath or counterattack. Finally, though, King Kai misses a punch and exposes an opening.

Zamasu twists himself to dodge a pure right hook, burying his fist in King Kai's gut before replacing that with his foot. The kick throws King Kai back, and Zamasu flies past him, clasping his hands together before smashing them into the top of King Kai's head.

You would think King Kai would stay down, but instead he launches up from the ground in the Kaioken, littering Zamasu in powerful blows in the brief moment before Zamasu follows suit, crying out as he unleashes the Kaio-Ken in response to the attacks.

The two near-equals clash fiercely, their clothing and the landscape around them falling victim as their outfits become gradually more tattered, and the landscape becomes broken and destroyed. Fortunately, King Kai will be able to repair all of this when the spar is said and done.

They leap back from each other, launching a series of powerful blasts. The blasts meet in the center, as both fall from the Kaio-Ken at roughly the same time… roughly. Zamasu remains in it long enough to overpower King Kai, who retaliates with an energy wave.

Zamasu lunges forward, swinging his arm up as a ki blade forms and slices clean through the blast. The blade dissipates when he is before King Kai, who has no time to react before a knee slams into his cheek. King Kai counters with a punch to Zamasu's solar plexus, but neither allows the heavy blows to make them fall.

Every single hit contains more power than the one before. A punch connects here, a kick there, both fighters gradually taking on more and more damage. The next hit will be the deciding blow, the one that ends the battle… Both fighters launch at each other, but Zamasu takes a calculated risk.

He aims his hands downward, firing a short burst of energy that lifts him above King Kai. Flipping his body, his feet slam into the blue kai's back, resulting in a hard faceplant into the ground. Zamasu lands on his feet, panting and wheezing as he stares at the crater King Kai is in.

' _Did I overdo it..? No, his energy is still there.'_ Zamasu walks calmly over to the crater, wherein King Kai slowly pushes to his feet. He's met with the outstretched hand of Zamasu, which he takes gladly.

' _No doubt about it…'_ King Kai grunts as he's pulled into a standing position. "Thanks." ' _He's ready…'_

-BSM-

Zamasu stands before King Kai, both sharing a serious gaze. The day has come, and it's now time for Zamasu to make his way to earth in order to help the Z-fighters. Zamasu is about to jump up back to Snake Way, but is stopped by King Kai.

"I believe it's time for me to show you just how much progress you've made." King Kai grins, his antennae glowing as they repair any small tears in the fabric of Zamasu's gi, while simultaneously removing all of the weight. Zamasu's power shoots up, and his eyes grow wide as he feels weightless!

"This… is my power?" Zamasu looks down at his hands - though it's but a fraction of the power he once wielded, after so long being crippled by this body's weaker state this power feels amazing. "I see… you kept me in perpetually heavier clothing all this time to improve my progress, then." Zamasu smiles at the blue Kai, and King Kai smiles back.

"Good luck; you will need it, my boy. The power of these two Saiyajins is great, and I can already sense that you will have to make careful use of the Kaio-Ken in order to keep up." With a grunt and a nod, Zamasu turns from King Kai, staring up at Snake Way.

"Thanks, but I don't need luck." Zamasu leaps up, running on Snake Way within the blink of an eye. His body feels so powerful, so light! He leaps from place on the road, severely shortening the time it would take for him to make the full trip. ' _This is wonderful!'_ Surprisingly, a chuckle escapes Zamasu. These months really _have_ begun to change him.

Nevertheless, he continues on his journey across Snake Way, careful not to lose his footing and fall. What kind of idiot would fall off of a path this wide anyways?

-BSM-

Piccolo and Gohan stand in a grassy wasteland, mentally preparing themselves for the threat to come. Gohan is shaking in his boots, but he's far more composed than he would have been only a year prior. Piccolo is as stoic as ever, waiting and keeping his senses up for when the energies of the Saiyajins will be able to be sensed.

Piccolo glances down at the shaking Gohan, while removing his cape and turban. "Gohan, don't be afraid. Both your preparation and improvement have been excellent; have faith in yourself." Piccolo remarks, hoping to ease the shaking that Gohan is feeling - after all, what point is it for Gohan to be here if he's quaking in his boots too much to actually fight?

Gohan, calmed and encouraged by these words, nods firmly. "Right! I'm ready, Mr. Piccolo."

"What?" Piccolo's eyes widen, and he glances skyward, looking to the left and right. "Gohan, there's someone else coming! It looks like there might be one more than we expected!" A figure appears on a nearby mountain, grabbing Piccolo's attention. "Huh!?" They disappear, reappearing as they land in front of him.

"It's Krillin!" Gohan calls out, excited to see the new arrival isn't, in fact, a third Saiyajin.

"Thought you might need some help." Krillin chuckles, admirably confident for the situation at hand. Piccolo cracks a smirk, turning and staring down at the bald monk. "Yeah, sure; why not. But things are gonna get intense, you might just slow us down, Krillin."  
"I doubt that, I've been doing a little training of my own."

"So you have." Piccolo replies in kind. "I can feel a significant increase in your power." Krillin nods, glancing around for any sign of friend or foe. "It seems like our new 'friend' has yet to arrive. Go figure." Krillin is admittedly uneasy; had their supposed ally simply run off with Goku's body?

"You're right, but… even if I don't trust him, that King Kai guy said that he'd be here to fight alongside us. I'm sure he'll be here." Gohan is certainly displeased with the circumstances that have given them their new ally, and it shows.

"That's enough of your small talk, you two. They're here!" Piccolo announces, staring up into the sky with a somewhat confident gaze. High in the sky are two beings: A short man with flamelike hair and a widow's peak, and a tall, burly bald man.

-BSM-

Zamasu reaches the check-in station at an admirable pace, but he'll still have to hurry if he wants to make it in time. The Saiyajins - unbeknownst to him - are on earth now, and he's still in Otherworld. At the end of the road stands Kami, his hand outstretched to the approaching Zamasu.

"Grab my hand!" Zamasu reaches out as he arrives, wasting no time in grabbing the wrinkled hand of Earth's guardian. A sharp shiver goes through him, and in not even a second the duo disappear from the realm of the dead, appearing on the Lookout in the next moment.

' _I don't know if I've arrived sooner or later than Son Goku in the original time, but I doubt I'm as punctual as they'd hope if the green man is this urgent.'_ Kami points him in the right direction, and he practically hurls himself from the edge of the lookout, the tiles where he had been standing now cracked.

' _Why am I moving with such urgency? I don't care whether these mortals die one way or the other! I'm simply fighting to fulfill my debt! Why is adrenaline coursing through me like this?'_ Zamasu wonders to himself, not entirely sure why he threw himself from the Lookout so forcefully.

Perhaps it's that Goku's body is having feelings of its own, no doubt urging him to try and arrive in time to avoid any lives being lost.

-BSM-

"Well then…" The burly Saiyajin chuckles lowly, staring down at the trio. "One more joined them… what do you suppose they're doing out here? Maybe they're our welcoming party." He laughs once more, before glancing over at the shorter Saiyajin.

"Yes, it appears that they were waiting for us… I'm sure of it." His own face has an ever so cocky grin on it, enjoying the look of fear on both the faces of Gohan and Krillin. Piccolo, however, hides any emotion as he continues his eye contact with the two new arrivals.

The two slowly descend towards the ground, the smirk never leaving the shorter one's face, even as their boots finally make contact with the ground. "So, we meet at last."

"The pleasure is mine…" Piccolo remains quite for a moment longer, before speaking up. "I'm only going to say this once: leave this planet - this will be your first and last chance to get out of this alive." A look of recognition flashes on the face of the smaller Saiyajin.

"That voice - so you're the one that defeated Raditz one year ago." He takes note of the surprised look on Piccolo's face, and elaborates. "Didn't Raditz tell you?" He taps on the side of his scouter, leaning forwards a little. "Our scouters also work as communicators…"

"The green one, he's from Namek, isn't he?" The burly Saiyajin speaks roughly, having been staring at Piccolo for quite some time at this point.  
"Yes, he's from namek, alright.. It's no wonder that Raditz had such a hard time with him and Kakarotto."

Piccolo clenches his fists, staring at Nappa and Vegeta before growling out lowly, as if to repeat their statement just for his own reassurance. "I'm… I'm from Namek.."

"You're an alien, Piccolo? Well, that would certainly explain alot." Krillin remarks.

"Is that true, Mr. Piccolo?" Gohan also speaks, but Piccolo ignores both of them.

"I see, so you didn't know that, then? Well then, what a surprise; surely, though, you must have suspected something before now… The green skin and pointy ears are a dead giveaway, don't you think?" A low snicker escapes the short Saiyajin, all the while Piccolo is simply standing there, trying to take in and process this new information.

"It was you who told Nappa about the dragon balls… now, I want you to tell us." He points at Piccolo, all three preset Z-fighters tensing up. "Where are they?" All three stay silent, not wanting to admit that they're all gathered up neatly in one place, due to the original intention to revive Goku at the year's end.

"Silence, huh?" The taller Saiyajin speaks cooly. "It doesn't matter; we know the Balls are somewhere around here - make no mistake, we will find them with you alive or with you dead." He clenches his fist in front of his face. "It's your decision. Tell us where they are, or you will all be killed."

"I want to thank you." Piccolo responds without missing a beat. "Because of you I know that I come from the planet Namek, but _this_ is my planet now, and I'm not going to allow you to tell me what to do with it… So back off, we're not here to bow down to your commands! We're here to fight; so go ahead and do whatever it is you came here to do!" He, Gohan, and Krillin all slip into fighting stances, ready to move at a moment's notice.

"I guess they're not going to tell us where the Dragon Balls are, then, Nappa." The shorter one speaks to his burly companion, Nappa, who responds in kind.

"Wanna bet?" Nappa smirks. "Alright… Let's see how strong you _really_ are…" Nappa pushes a small button on the side of his scouter, the device ringing out in a series of shrill beeps as he reads Gohan's power level. "Kid's at a thousand…" Then Piccolo. "The Namekian's at 1400…" And Krillin. "And the midget is at 1100… You fools! You really think you can beat us with such _puny_ power levels?"

The flame-haired Saiyajin pulls off his own scouter. "Hey, Nappa. Take your scouter off; it seems they know how to fluctuate their energy and raise their power levels… these figures are very unreliable."

Nappa pulls off his scouter. "Ah, right… now I remember, that pathetic loser Raditz let himself be fooled by the power readings." He drops his scouter, getting ready for what should still be an easy battle.

"You two, be ready for them!" Piccolo warns Krillin and Gohan, not backing down… not that he could even if he wanted to in this situation; it's fight or die.

"Wait, Piccolo. If they're stronger than Raditz, and Goku- I mean, the guy in Goku's body - isn't here… what do you expect us to be able to do? How will we defeat them with just us?" To Krillin's dismay, Piccolo remains silent; the monk turns his attention back to the two Saiyajins, trying not to show fear. "Alright… well, guys. Let's just do it."

"Nappa, I believe it's time we have a little fun with them… Better yet, get those Saibamen out - there should be six of them in there… they'll do." The short Saiyajin commands to Nappa, who simply chuckles.

"You're too much; you really know how to have fun…" Nappa reaches back, pulling out a small container of six pellets and a fluid. "You're right - there are six."

"Maybe the Saibamen can persuade them to tell us where the Dragon Balls are, eh Nappa?" The shorter of the two sneers, eyes locked on their 'opponents'

"Oh, I think they can arrange that…" Nappa plants all six of the pellets in small holes in the ground, covering them up and dropping a strange, green fluid onto each pellet. He tosses the container both the pellets and liquid had been in, watching his handiwork. "There.."

From the ground, six creatures slowly emerge, looking like a cross between a man and some sort of lettuce. Their eyes faintly glow red as they stand, all watching the trio of Z-fighters with nothing less than amusement.

"Well at least… they're smaller than I am." Krillin stammers out nervously.

The six Saibamen lunge, circling Krillin, Gohan, and Piccolo in a mocking manner. Without warning, they jump back, grouping up in an attack formation.

"They're brainless, crazy monsters…!" Krillin watches them, able to feel the raw power coming off of them.

"This should be a pretty good matchup." Vegeta goes to continue speaking, but is cut off before he can continue. Two new fighters arrive on the scene, one of them shouting for Krillin.

Tien and Chiaotzu land, standing beside the trio, who couldn't be happier to see backup. "Hey, guys! Thanks for droppin' by!" Krillin chuckles, while Gohan stares in mild curiosity - he hadn't met them before, but they seem to be on their side. "We could use the help." Krillin finishes.

Tien eyes the Saibamen. "Looks like the Saiyajins brought some of their friends to help them." Tien comments, disgusted by the appearance of the Saibamen.

"Actually, they grew them here, but I can explain that later." Krillin correct Tien, earning a curious and surprised expression from the three-eyed fighter.

"That's okay, it doesn't really matter… Who's the kid, is that Goku's little boy?" Tien takes notice of Gohan, who's been peering out from around Piccolo's leg.

"Uh-huh. His name's Gohan; he's been training with Piccolo this past year." Krillin replies.

"Mm." Tien nods. "He's bold, like his father."

" _Enough_ with this garbage." Nappa snaps, bringing everyone's attention to him. "Saibamen, I wanna hear them beg for mercy.." The saibamen all chuckle darkly, stamping their feet and getting ready to battle.

"Wait for me!" A voice rings out from in the sky, before a long-haired fighter lands in a crouch beside the rest of the Z-fighters, standing up and turning around. "What's up? Sorry I'm late." Yamcha smirks, taking in the surroundings. "So, why's everyone acting so serious around here?"

"Look, Nappa, now it's six against six." The flame-haired Saiyajin quips. "Their warriors against our saibamen. How perfect, this may just prove to be interesting after all… Gentlemen, how would you like to make a match of this and fight our soldiers, one-by-one? Well, answer!"

Piccolo scowls, a vein bulging in his forehead as the remark from the shorter Saiyajin only serves to irritate and anger him. "We're not here to play games, and we're not here to fight on your terms! We'll take you on, all at once!"

Krillin speaks up quickly, holding his hands up. "Hey, now, easy! We're still waiting for our new 'friend' to show up! We can buy time by playing things their way!" Tien is certainly in agreement, and steps forward. "I'll go first. I'm not afraid of these little creeps. It'll be a good warmup!"

Nappa chuckles. "That's the spirit! Fresh meat for the grinder; but just wait, you won't be so cocky when you see just what these 'little freaks' can do." The saibamen all rings out in their distorted cries, as if to confirm Nappa's statement.

"Well then, I hear alot of noise but I don't see anyone coming to fight." Tien taunts, but is silenced as the short Saiyajin commands one of the Saibamen to fight.

"Hey, Tien. Be careful!" Chiaotzu warns Tien, but the whirring of helicopters interrupts things before they can begin. Everyone looks up to a small group of helicopters, a cameraman shooting footage - likely for a news channel - from one of them.

"So, you want some news, do ya?" Nappa holds up two fingers, forming a ball of energy in response to the news choppers hovering around. "Here, now you _are_ the news!" He takes out one of the helicopters, blowing it to pieces in the blink of an eye and sending the others flying away. "Good, no more distractions!" Nappa stares at the Saibaman that was sent forward.

"Now, what do you say we get this fight started?" The Saibaman nods eagerly in agreement, while Tien simply stands firm.

The Saibaman lunges forward, and Tien throws his own palm forward, blowing back the Saibaman with a kiai from his hand. The Saibaman recovers, his head splitting open and unleashing some sort of acid, which all of the Z-fighters frantically move to dodge.

The Saibaman and Tien launch into the air, and Tien hits the Saibaman with a powerful elbow to the gut. The plantlike fighters falls to the ground, almost paralyzed by the pain. Tien lands on the ground, his confidence higher now that he's seen what quick work he can make of the Saibamen.

"It seems like you got a bad batch, Nappa." The flame-haired Saiyajin comments calmly, displeased at the way the Saibaman fought.

"N-no, Vegeta, they're all good!" Nappa replies. "These are the same ones that survived that crazy battle on Dratic; he should've won! His power level is 1200. All of these Saibamen have the same battle power as Raditz!"

"I imagine you see my point now…" Vegeta holds out two fingers, blowing away the Saibaman Tien had knocked down. It's blown to bits, scattered across the ground. "Well then, he wasn't of any use to us anymore… He was losing, which means that he wasn't trying his hardest. I specifically told him not to hold anything back… So, who's going next?"

Krillin clenches his fists frowning. "I'll go next!" Before he can even take a step forward though, Yamcha speaks up.

"Hold on Krillin, let me go would ya? I'm really anxious to show these guys what we're all about on this planet." Before Krillin can respond, Yamcha tacks on the important piece of information. "You've already been wished back by the Dragon Balls once, so if anything happens then at least we know I can be revived. Sit this one out for me, Krill'. You'll get your chance."

"..Okay." Krillin responds uneasily. "He's all yours."

"Alright, then!" Yamcha slips into his stance, grinning confidently. "Let's get this thing over with!" The saibaman moves forward, slowly at first, before both fighters disappear in a blur. They reappear in the air, trading blows. The drop to the ground, and Yamcha moves to sweep the Saibaman's feet from beneath him.

The Saibaman jumps back, dodging, while Yamcha simultaneously appears behind him. Twisting his body, the Saibaman kicks him into the sky, sending Yamcha high into the air. Yamcha halts himself, using the light of the sun above him as cover to come down and spear his foot into the Saibaman's head.

He narrowly misses, cracking the ground and exchanging a short burst of blows with the Saibaman before they return to the air. He cups his hands and thrusts them forward, firing a quick and sloppy Kamehameha to take out the Saibaman.

Said Saibaman is thrown to the ground, a small crater forming upon his impact. Yamcha lands on the edge, grinning down at the fallen creature. "Alright! That'll teach you to mess with the great Yamcha!" He turns to face the others, the Saibaman - unbeknownst to him - slowly getting up from within the crater. Just as it leaps to latch onto Yamcha, a bright light shoots through the area.

Half of the Saibaman falls to either side of Yamcha, having been cut in half by some unknown force. Vegeta, Nappa, the remaining Saibamen, and the Z-fighters all turn in the direction the light had gone. Zamasu stands there, his ki blade dissipating into the air. As his ki blade dissipates, the remaining Saibamen all go rigid, before falling apart into halves themselves.

"You couldn't even handle yourself for what amounts to five minutes, I see… pathetic." Zamasu comments, staring at the flabbergasted Yamcha. His attention is taken by the now-chuckling Vegeta, however, who's more than impressed by the very Saiyajin mannerisms the traitor is displaying. A far cry from how he had sounded during the fight with Raditz.

"So, you've arrived. I imagine you're here to fight, then, Kakarotto." Vegeta - who had placed his scouter back on his head by this point - pushes the button, wanting to get a rough estimate to where he should _expect_ Zamasu's power to be around.

"Allow me to make sure that reading is as accurate as it can be…" Zamasu steadies himself, yelling out as his dark aura - comprised of dense black and purple - bursts forth and wafts off of him like fire and smoke. His energy rises rapidly, stunning everyone present.

"Two thousand… three thousand… no, four thousand…! It's just rising!" Vegeta is in awe as Zamasu yells only louder. "Five thousand… six..!" ' _How is it that Kakarotto has gotten this strong?! He was weaker than Raditz only a year ago, and yet now he surpasses Nappa!?'_ The numbers on the scouter settle, as Zamasu's yelling comes to an end.

"I.. don't believe it." Vegeta pulls off his scouter. Nappa speaks to his side, urging him to tell him what's going on, and how strong Zamasu is. The Saiyajin regains his composure, and smirks. "Seven thousand… it's certainly an impressive number." He crushes his scouter, tossing the shattered pieces aside. "But if you can fluctuate your power to that great of a degree, there is no reason for a device such as that."

Zamasu begins to walk towards Vegeta, cracking his knuckles. "Well then, aren't you rather smart… for a monkey, that is." He smirks as a vein bulges in Vegeta's forehead, a nerve clearly struck by this remark from Zamasu.

"Enough! Nappa, you go and take care of the pests. I'll show Kakarotto here what happens to disrespectful, traitorous Saiyajin such as himself." Vegeta slips into his stance, while Zamasu comes to a stop, slipping into his own refined stance.

"You know, that's some big talk from such a short man…" Zamasu responds in kind, relishing in the look of irritation and anger that his comment sparks on Vegeta's face. "What do you say we get this over with; I have places to be…"

With two fierce battles soon to begin, what will the outcome be? Already, the timeline has been altered in multiple ways, from Yamcha living to Zamasu's power being weaker than Goku's own at the same point in time! Will his current power be enough to win?

End, Chapter 2

 **Power Levels**

Piccolo  
3,500

Gohan  
981

Krillin  
2,100

Tien  
2,400

Chiaotzu  
1,000

Yamcha  
1,780

Saibamen  
1,200

Vegeta  
18,000

Nappa  
4,000

Zamasu  
7,000

*Reminder that those training with Kami drank the Ultra Divine Water, hence their higher-than-canon power.

Author's Note:

Another delayed chapter - I apologize. With tests being thrown at me alongside needing to work on my art, I've not had the writing mood strike me. I ended up writing the chapter in three bursts, getting 1,000 or so words done in the first two sessions then the last 4,000 words in this session. Tossing this up as soon as I'm finished, so let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 3 - The Battle Begins

Body Snatching Mishap, Chapter 3

Zamasu and Vegeta stare each other down, silence falling over the two after Zamasu's nonchalant question. Vegeta feels irritation at the disrespect of the 'low class Saiyajin', while Zamasu appears to be eerily calm in the face of this danger. He has his research on his side, though, which would explain that.

' _All I have to do is push the right buttons without revealing my knowledge of Vegeta. If I can throw him off of his game - though that's an underhanded tactic, I may need to use it - then I might be able to avoid having to destroy my body with the Kaio-Ken in order to achieve a victory here.'_

Meanwhile, the Z-fighters are all on the defense, readying themselves for the smaller, yet equally risky, threat of Nappa. In terms of numbers, they have the advantage, but in terms of individual strength… it's not that hard to figure out who's the greater side.

"So, what do you say we get this over with; I have places to be…" Zamasu dismissively waves his hand, stepping forward as if to casually approach Vegeta. The ground splits beneath his foot, though, as he's in front of Vegeta the next second. He throws a punch, but it's caught easily by Vegeta. A burst of air from the concussive force whips up wind around them, and the two gaze hard at each other.

Zamasu's other hand moves swiftly, hitting Vegeta hard in the gut. His armor cracks from the force of the surprise attack, but the blow that really staggers Vegeta is the energy blast concealed in that hand. When Vegeta is thrown flying back from the force of the attack, Zamasu lunges off after him.

Everyone - Nappa included - is thrown off-guard and experiencing both shock and awe from the first blows exchanged between Zamasu and Vegeta.

' _How is Kakarotto so fast? He moved almost as fast as I can! How did he get such power when a year ago he was inferior to even Raditz!?'_ Nappa attempts to ignore this flaw in logic to face the more prevalent issue, his gaze turning to the shocked Z-fighters.

"Alright! Looks like it's about time to have some fun!" Nappa cracks his neck, hitting his fists together before taking on his stance, turned somewhat sideways with both fists in front of him. Electricity arcs off of him in the form of a powerful aura, bringing the attention of the Z-fighters to him.

"Guys, let's worry less about that fight and more about this one; we have to keep our heads in the game if we hope to have a chance to win!" Nappa's initial power is certainly staggering, but they can't let it distract them. "Piccolo and I will head up the assault. Chiaotzu, try to hold him in place with your telekinesis; Krillin and Yamcha, prepare your strongest attacks."

"What are you all blabbering about? Whatever it is, it's over now!" Nappa moves in the blink of an eye, moving in with a heavy punch to take out the two strongest fighters - Tien and Piccolo - first.

Tien and Piccolo manage to dodge however, Tien firing a hasty Dodonpa while Piccolo throws his arm out, extending it to grab at Nappa's tail. Nappa grabs Piccolo's arm before he can get a hold, but is surprised when Piccolo retracts his arm, the Namekian pulling himself in and swinging his knee to hit Nappa in the head.

Nappa chuckles, but smashes Piccolo into the ground before the attack can successfully connect. The dodonpa, hits the side of his armor, and he frowns. "Now which one of you pests did that-?" He catches a punch thrown by Tien, punching him in the gut before smashing him to the ground. He brings his foot up, about to slam it down on Tien when Piccolo punches the preoccupied Saiyajin square in the jaw.

Nappa's head turns from the impact of the punch, and he's thrown off-balance long enough for Tien to get up and throw a double-handed open palm strike to the large Saiyajin's chest. "HA!" Nappa is knocked back, and Piccolo tries to move in and continue their attack. Nappa is able to regain his footing, though, and fires a hasty mouth blast. It connects with Piccolo, sending him flying back with a bit of damage.

"Lousy pests… Think you can get a hit on me and get away with it- GHRK-!?" Tien's fist pierced Nappa's armor, burrowed right where one of Nappa's kidneys should be. "CHIAOTZU, NOW!" He calls out, pulling his fist back and leaping out of the way. At the same time, Chiaotzu throws his hands forward, focusing hard on paralyzing the large fighter. Nappa is alarmed to find that his body has suddenly stopped responding to his commands, caught in the telekinetic hold of Chiaotzu.

"W-what the… what's going on? Why can't I move!? What did you do to me!" He grunts and struggles, trying to will his body to move, but finding himself unable to. "D-damnit..! This can't happen, I am the _great Nappa!_ " He roars, infuriated by the fact that he was caught by such inferior fighters.

Piccolo is back on his feet, both hands crackling with ki as he charges in. "Take this!" He throws his hands forward, muscles on his arms bulging as he fires off his attack. " _Explosive Demon Wave!_ " Dust and smoke form when the attack hits the paralyzed Nappa, a satisfying yell of pain coming from within the newfound smokescreen.

' _A direct hit!'_ Piccolo jumps high into the air, looking to the side and spotting Krillin preparing an attack. The bald monk's hands are cupped at his side, ki swirling into a ball before he throws his hands forward. "Let me show you the results of my training, HA!" With a yell, he unleashes what appears to be a yellow Kamehameha. It shoots across the landscape, tearing up the ground beneath it as it approaches the ball of smoke wherein Nappa is.

At the last second before entering the smoke, however, the blast splits off into smaller beams, curing around to the sides before homing in on Nappa's ki signature. They enter the cloud of smoke and dust, each one hitting Nappa with a small explosion.

"Alright, I got him!" Krillin cheers, not knowing just how wrong he is. Within seconds, the dust and smoke are blown away by a surge of ki, Chiaotzu getting thrown back by the sheer force of Nappa's full power. The angered Saiyajin is revealed, his armor blown to bits in various places, bruises and scratches littering his form. "Why… you…!"

"I'm going to make you regret that, HAAA!" Nappa's right arm is coated in a glowing ki, as he lunges across the landscape to take out his most recent attacker: Krillin. Nobody is really close enough to Krillin to stop Nappa, except for one fighter, who had been charging up a special attack of his own.

" **Krillin!** " Yamcha fires a hasty energy wave from his hands, propelling himself faster than he could have hoped to go by simply running. His foot digs into the terrain directly between Krillin and Nappa - who looks akin to a raging bull - just in time to intercept a punch from Nappa's glowing red fist. A gargled cry of pain echoes over the landscape, and all goes silent for a moment.

Nappa's fist is clean through Yamcha's chest, the ex-bandit hacking up blood onto the burly Saiyajin's arm. In disgust, Nappa rips his arm out, and with that Yamcha's body gives out; it crashes to the ground the next moment, a heavy thud revealing that Yamcha is indeed dead.

Gohan watches with wide eyes, in shock at the sight before him. Not only had he never actually seen someone die before - he had only heard after the fact that his own father had died, and subsequently had his body stolen - but Yamcha died so _brutally._ A chilling numbness fills Gohan's mind, and he falls to his knees as his brain struggles to process what even happened.

Krillin is paler than a ghost, his hands shaking as he watches Yamcha fall to the ground, everything feeling as if it had slowed down in the moment of impact. The thud of Yamcha's lifeless body hitting the ground echoes in the bald monk's head, his entire body frozen, as if held by the telekinetic hold of Chiaotzu.

' _Yamcha, no…!'_ Tien had been trying to intercept Nappa, but was too slow. The fact that Yamcha was able to make it in time was actually kind of impressive, amongst the grimness of the circumstances. ' _...We have the Dragon Balls; we can revive him after this battle. He made a noble sacrifice, and none of us will forget that, I'm sure.'_ Tien glances to Chiaotzu, who's visibly nauseated at the sight of Yamcha's death.

' _He's of no concern to me. If he wants to throw away his life for the life of Krillin then sobeit. I've seen Krillin perform far more impressive displays thus far anyways.'_ Piccolo, ever the indifferent one, is able to shrug off the fact that Yamcha is the one dead. ' _However, his speed… it's frightening… we might just be in over our heads here…'_

"Y-you…" Krillin narrows his eyes at Nappa as he feels his eyes well with tears. ' _Yamcha… you gave your life for me, you sacrificed yourself so that I would live…!'_ He leaps back, throwing his hand above his head and landing in a crouch. ' _I won't let that sacrifice be in vain!'_ He begins to move his hand in a small circular motion above his head, a faint disk of ki forming.

"Tien, let's go!" Piccolo and Tien shout as they put out every ounce of power they can, shooting in to attack Nappa. Nappa slams his arm into Piccolo, clotheslining the Namekian before throwing his elbow into Tien's chest, the three-eyed fighter thrown across the landscape until he crashes into a nearby cliff face.

Chiaoutzu holds his hand in the air, yellow electricity alight about it as he charges a Super Dodopa. Nappa's gaze meets the small fighter's, and Chiaotzu's white skin actually pales further. "Do you really think that puny attack will do anything to me- huh?" Nappa's attention is quickly gripped by another distraction, in the form of an attacking Krillin.

" **Kienzan!** " Krillin throws his entire body forward with a fierce yell, unleashing his Kienzan at a high speed. It shoots across the ground before lifting up in an arc, heading for Nappa with a shrill screech. Krillin jumps high into the air, cupping his hands at his side as every last drop of his remaining energy pushes from his body, gathering up in a blue ball between his hands. "This is for Yamcha, KamehameHA!" He throws his hands forward, the Kamehameha soaring towards Nappa.

"I can take your puny attacks, just try me!" He readies himself, shifting into a stance. Intense searing pain flows through him as the Kienzan makes partial contact, cutting into his torso but not killing him. "W-ha-!? A-ck!" He coughs up blood, his guard falling just as the Kamehameha smashes into him. The full power of Krillin causes Nappa to let out a gargled yell, taking heavy damage from the combo'd attack.

Krillin pants, lowering slowly to the ground. When he lands, his legs give out and he falls to one knee, sweat dripping from his brow. "Did we… do it…?"

' _I can't… I can't believe it… this utter garbage was able to inflict so much damage on me!? I refuse to accept this. I cannot be beaten by such scum!'_ He howls with burning rage, unleashing an explosive wave that would knock all nearby fighters away. The winds are enough to almost take Chiaotzu - charging his Super Dodonpa - out of the sky! "You…" Nappa stomps towards the grounded Krillin, blood gushing from the cut the Kienzan made. "I will kill you… slowly and PAINFULLY!"

"D-don't you hurt him!"

Nappa's attention is gripped by the new, young voice, Gohan standing with his hands above his head. The look in Gohan's eyes is hard to detect, but whatever it is, it's strong enough to push past the dullness of his shocked state. "Or what, kid? You certainly won't be able to stop me!" Nappa laughs, coughing up blood in the next moment. Unfortunately for Nappa, his lack of scouter leaves him unable to feel the true power or Gohan's attack.

' _If I run, I'll die, and if I fight, I'll die!'_ Images of Yamcha falling to the ground flash through Gohan's head. ' _No matter what I do, I'll die! He's too strong, but I have to_ _ **try!'**_ " **MASENKO…"** The yellow wave of ki bursts forth. " **HA!** "

Nappa rears his arm back, before throwing it forward to unleash his own energy wave, this one wider but with more power. "BOMBER DX!" The two attacks meet with a resounding boom, wind whipping up as the Bomber DX and Masenko fight for victory. Gohan's only still having a fighting chance because - having a narrower blast - his attack's energy is more focused, and could pierce through Nappa's own attack.

From the side, Piccolo shouts. "EVERYONE, ALL AT ONCE!" He throws his arm forward, fingers alight with a purple ki. "MAKANKOSAPPO!" His signature attack screams across the battlefield, shooting through Nappa's shoulder and clipping the hand he's using to fight Gohan. He loses control of the attack, and Gohan's Masenko smashes into his chest, cutting into and burning his skin.

"TRI-BEAM!" Tien is high in the sky, his body alight with pain as he unleashes his attack, amplified by his pure life energy."

Chiaotzu finally extends his hand, firing the massive yellow wave. "SUPER DODONPA!" All of the attack smash into Nappa one after the other, the Z-fighters giving it their all to see that this battle ends. Amidst the blasts, Nappa breathes his last breath in the form of an agonizing scream…

No matter how strong Nappa is, he's unable to stop this group attack. The combined energies of the Z-Fighters, their raw fighting spirit, is too much for the one man to handle. As an individual he is superior, but against a group of such dedicated fighters, he is no match. His body is shredded with the combined force of the attacks, and when his energy fades, the Z-fighters all fall to their knees. They've won the battle, but there's still a war raging on not too far away…

-BSM-

Vegeta throws his arms out, stopping his momentum after flying back for a short time. After the initial blow, Zamasu had kept the pressure on and successfully moved himself and Vegeta away from any sort of distraction. Of course it was only inevitable that Vegeta would overcome the shock of the initial blow, and now he's back on guard again.

' _How the hell did Kakarotto gain this kind of power in a year?!'_ Vegeta blocks an incoming punch fro Zamasu, throwing one back and just barely missing. Zamasu's knee shoots up into Vegeta's gut, but the prince retaliated with a backhand to Zamasu's face. They clash like this for a little longer, but Zamasu is blown back and enveloped by a quick flurry of energy blasts from Vegeta.

Zamasu shoots from the smoke the barrage had formed, his gi a little tattered but otherwise just fine. ' _He hits hard, and so far he's seemed quite durable.'_ Vegeta swats him away once more, but he twists midair and maneuvers around the approaching prince, kicking him in the back and firing a blast; Vegeta narrowly avoids the blast, lunging in and burying his fist in Zamasu's stomach.

The body snatcher doubles over, taking a heavy sledgehammer blow to the head and getting slammed into the ground. He slowly pushes to his feet, steadying himself and looking up at Vegeta. ' _Looks like I'll have to exercise that technique a little after all…'_ His aura flows around him, rapidly intensifying and becoming a deep red, as if he were on fire. "KAIO-KEN!"

The ground beneath him craters as he shoots into the sky, landing a heavy blow to Vegeta's cheek, and locking him in the short barrage. He finishes it off with a knee to the side, letting the Kaio-Ken burst away from him. ' _I have to be careful with that. Though I've increased my ability to use it by training with my mortal body - as opposed to Goku himself, who had an extra spongy dead body - I imagine that complacency is not something I'll want to have in this battle…'_ It's true; because he learned and used the Kaio-Ken with his mortal form, it's allowed his body to actively adjust to the strain of the state, potentially giving him access to more power sooner… but only as a possibility.

Vegeta was taken by surprise when Zamasu moved at speeds he'd not displayed yet in their battle, but at the same time it was almost expected. As infuriating as it is to Vegeta, it's impossible for him to deny both his curiosity as to how 'Kakarotto' has gotten so strong, but also just how strong he truly is. ' _In that one attack I felt more power than he's used this whole battle. Is he holding back…!?'_

Vegeta clenches his fist. ' _Is… is he mocking me!'_ With a furious growl, he dashes at Zamasu, cheekily taking revenge by lodging his own fist deep in Zamasu's gut. He follows it up with an uppercut, before grabbing Zamasu by the hair and repeatedly punching him in the face. "You _dare_ mock the Saiyajin prince, Vegeta!?" He releases Zamasu to let loose a double-handed strike, but is shocked to see Zamasu's arm encased in ki as it's slashed at him.

He just barely dodges, feeling a sharp pain on his cheek where the ki blade got a glancing blow. Small droplets of blood escape the cut, and Vegeta doesn't have to see it to know that his blood is spilled. ' _He… he managed to spill my blood…'_ With a powerful Kiai, he knocks Zamasu away, the body snatcher recovering just in time for Vegeta to rush in, his hands nearly touching the former's chest.

"That will be the _only_ time you land such a blow on me!" A powerful energy blast envelops Zamasu, and he's sent flying. "Rest assured it will not go un-punished, either!" Vegeta moves into Zamasu's path, catching a punch and elbowing him in the cheek. The Saiyajin prince follows it up with a kick to Zamasu's side, throwing his hand forward and blasting Zamasu with a hasty energy wave.

Zamasu is buried beneath rubble following this brutal attack from Vegeta, new cuts and bruises littering him as he bursts forth from the rocks, floating across from Vegeta. ' _I can do better than this…'_ His body is encased in red once more as he triggers the first level of the Kaio-Ken, the two powerful fighters moving into a clash. Zamasu actually lands a few deciding blows, finishing it off with a strike to Vegeta's solar plexus.

Vegeta drops down to the ground, throwing his arm up and hitting elbow-to-elbow with Zamasu, who had shot down to attack. Zamasu once more releases the hold of the Kaio-ken, but only after throwing his foot and catching Vegeta in the face. Vegeta cries out, blood gushing from his nose as he grabs at his face.

"Well then, I'll just take care of this!" Zamasu grabs at Vegeta's tail, his other arm encased in glowing ki once more as he does so. Vegeta feels Zamasu's hand brush against his tail in an attempt to grab it, though, and jabs at Zamasu's side before the tail grabbing can be done.

Zamasu takes the blow, doubling over and slicing at Vegeta once more. While he doesn't get the tail, Vegeta roars in pain when the blade makes a gash in his side, no doubt hitting something vital as the prince is coughing up blood a moment later. Vegeta's fist nearly burrows into Zamasu's face, and the body snatcher is sent flying.

"You bastard! You tried to cut off my tail!" Vegeta snarls, one hand on his side while the other is steadily charging up energy. Zamasu just smirks, charging up energy in his own hand as the telltale aura of the Kaio-Ken surrounds him.

"So what if I did?" He teases, his red aura almost being sucked into the ki blast in his hand. The two throws their hands forward, the yellow beams clashing and exploding. Vegeta and Zamasu both dart into the aftermath, exchanging a heavy barrage of punches and kicks with each other; Vegeta wins this short clash, grabbing Zamasu's leg and spinning around until he's gathered some momentum.

He throws Zamasu higher into the sky, flying up above him and clasping his hands together. "HA!" He throws them down and smashes them into Zamasu's head, once more unleashing a flurry of ki blasts down upon the body snatcher. Each one pummels into Zamasu, but he doesn't yield, firing his own blasts between blows to himself.

The landscape is rocked with the force of the explosions, as the battle of the two 'Saiyajins' rages on.

-BSM-

"Tien, Chiaotzu, I doubt that our new friend stopped and got some Senzu beans, so go and get some yourselves. Krillin, take the kid back to his mother. You have no energy left and this battlefield is no longer safe for him." Gohan has once more fallen into his shock-induced haze, only proving Piccolo's point. "I'm going to go observe the battle against Vegeta, and intervene if I can."

"Be careful, Piccolo. If you die, then Kami dies too, and the dragon balls will be inert!" Krillin warns Piccolo, picking up Gohan and lifting into the air. Piccolo nods, before taking off into the sky. Off in the distance, Piccolo can see and hear the effects of the fight, thunderclaps ringing out and actual electricity arcing over the environment.

' _My best bet would be to charge up another Makankosappo, but I can probably only manage one more at that…'_ The Makankosappo, while immensely powerful, is also quite draining if used repeatedly or is charged long enough. It's not as if it's pulling from an endless energy source, after all. Piccolo's eyes widen, though, as he sees Vegeta - encased in purple ki - shoot up into the sky, to ready an attack.

"That can't be good…"

-BSM-

Zamasu and Vegeta fight relentlessly, throwing themselves at each other every time they're knocked away. Zamasu has been forced to abuse the Kaio-Ken heavily at this point, and he's certainly feeling it as his muscles burn ever so faintly with every movement, and scream in pain with further use of the Kaio-Ken.

Zamasu is thrown through a series of mountains, only for Vegeta to catch up, grabbing his face and smashing him down into the intact rock, dragging him through it before finally firing a point-blank energy wave into his face. The body snatcher lies motionless as Vegeta jumps back, the Saiyajin prince practically howling with laughter.

"Do you see what disrespecting your prince gets you, Kakarotto?" Vegeta taunts, his armor showing the damage he's taken. One of the pauldrons is gone entirely while the other is sliced in half. The torso piece is cracked, exposing the blue bodysuit beneath, and he lost one of his gloves at some point.

Zamasu is in a similar state of damage, his gi top gone while his undershirt hangs on for dear life. One of his pant legs are gone, and everywhere that's exposed is littered in severe gashes and burns. Contrary to what Zamasu had hoped, his fight is much, _much_ harder than Son Goku's had been... this must be what happens when you don't have people to back you up.

Still, he can't afford to lose.

' _This is going to hurt, and I know I'll get an earful for pushing myself like this…'_ Zamasu twitches, and Vegeta halts his laughter. The rock around Zamasu crumbles as his muscles bulge, and Vegeta moves into action at the sight of his flamelike aura returning. "KAIO-KEN, STAGE TWO!" He's able to get into an upright position by the time Vegeta is close enough to strike, and he catches the fist with a grunt.

"You thought that would be enough to take me down…?" Zamasu smirks, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth as he yells, using his free hand to jab at Vegeta's throat. The prince lets out a strangled gasp, and Zamasu's arm glows with a bright red blade, as he jabs, catching Vegeta once more and leaving a gash right below Vegeta's underarm.

The blade dissipates into his aura as he dodges a heavy right hook from the wounded prince, using Vegeta's momentum to get in close for a series of powerful blows to his torso. Vegeta is thrown back, much alike how he'd thrown Zamasu not so long ago, before receiving his own sledgehammer blow to the head. Zamasu's muscles burn, but he unleashes an energy blast before allowing his body to power down. Smoke obscures Vegeta as Zamasu leaps up onto a nearby outcropping of rock, panting.

' _It's a miracle that I'm even standing right now…'_ Blood drips from the corner of one of his eyes, his body screaming in protest at the excess Kaio-Ken usage. ' _I'm gonna need a nap after I finish this fight… Or my body might just collapse and never get up again..'_

' _I can't believe this… He shouldn't be this strong… There's no way that a low-class warrior like him can surpass me._ _ **I am Prince Vegeta! I am above all other Saiyajin, it was decided by my very birthright that I would be the legendary Super Saiyajin! NONE CAN SURPASS ME!'**_ His body is encased in the purple of his aura as he launches into the sky, stopping when he's high above Zamasu and the planet itself.

" **You have disrespected me for the last time, Kakarotto!"** Purple ki wells around Vegeta's hands, his purple aura sharp as electricity bursts forth from it. " **You can dodge this attack if you wish, but if you do then I'll blow up this entire planet!"** He roars with fury as he charges his Galick Gun, Zamasu still frozen in place on the ground.

' _Damnit… Why can't I move…'_ Zamasu's body is totally locking up on him, as he struggles to move. ' _If I could just move, I could mimic the mortal Goku's damn attack…'_ Slowly, he cups his hands at his side, his gaze locked on Vegeta high above him. ' _Damnit, it seems like he's not going to give me the time I need to finish charging my attack!'_

" **WITNESS THE ULTIMATE POWER OF PRINCE VEGETA! GALICK GU-"**

" **MAKANKOSAPPO!"**

Vegeta sees the oncoming attack from the corner of his eye, and he's forced to dissipate his amassed power, moving just in time for the attack to be a narrow miss. His armor explodes as the attack breaks through it, just barely leaving his spandex beneath intact. Piccolo stands on the ground, sweating as he watches his most powerful attack simply get dodged.

"The Namekian…!" Vegeta scowls, throwing his hand out in the direction of Piccolo to fire a hasty energy blast. However, on the ground, oblivious to him, Zamasu has succeeded in charging his attack, and is now about to return the favor to Piccolo.

"Ka… Me…" Ki swirls between Zamasu's hands, but instead of the expected blue it's a mix of black and purple, much alike his aura. "Ha me…" The ball of ki compresses, a shrill scream coming from the ball of energy as he jerkily throws his hands forward, in time to see Vegeta throwing his own hand forward towards Piccolo. " **HA!"**

The powerful beam of concentrated energy soars through the sky, smashing into Vegeta with a tremendous impact. The prince attempts to hold it back, having thrown a hand out at the last second. Zamasu, however, will have none of it. " **KAIO-KEN!** " It's the most he can manage, but in Vegeta's weakened state, it's enough for the prince - having been caught off guard as well - to be overwhelmed! With a yell of pain, he's carried high into the sky, and Zamasu stands tall on the outcropping of rock, nearly paralyzed from pain.

Piccolo flies over to Zamasu, looking over him with a bit of an amused smirk. "Well, even if you aren't Son himself, you sure know how to treat his body like he would treat it." All he earns is an annoyed growl from Zamasu. "So, it's fairly obvious that you're having a hard time, and he's not out for the count yet. Do you have any sort of plan?"

"I was going to cut off the damn monkey's tail, but all I managed to do was slice into his side. I imagine that he's going to attempt to transform into an Oozaru, and if he succeeds then we're basically screwed… let me guess, the weaklings died in the fight against his lackey."

Piccolo frowns, shaking his head. "One died, but the rest of us killed him with relative 'ease'. As for the 'Oozaru', I imagine I've already seen it during my training with Goku's son. That kind of boost in power would definitely hurt our chances, but if it comes to that, then I have a plan-" A sudden spike in rapidly-approaching energy catches the attention of the two fighters.

"Seems like we're out of time. Just know that if he transforms, do everything you can to cut off his tail, and I'll take care of the rest." Piccolo quickly utters out, and Zamasu - able to move a little more than before now - nods.

"Right."

-BSM-

Tien and Chiaotzu are flying as fast as they can now, with Tien carrying the wonderful gift of senzu beans. There are only two, but if Piccolo and their new ally are the only ones on the battlefield then that should be perfect. ' _The fight seems to have taken a lull in action. All of their energies are much calmer now…'_ He spoke too soon, it seems, as Vegeta's energy makes itself known once more.

"Looks like it's a race to our friends, Chiaotzu." Chiaotzu nods, and both Z-fighters take off as fast as they can, leaving streaks of white behind. Depending on who gets to them first, the entire battle could be decided here.

End Chapter 3

Author's Note: Sorry that this chapter is just a little shorter. I wanted to save the latter half of the Vegeta fight for the next chapter, and because of that I had to stop short by about eight hundred words. Anyways, now that we've seen impressive displays of power from each and every fighter present, let's check out the altered power levels of this story!

Piccolo  
3,500  
5,000 (First Makankosappo, VS Nappa)  
6,205 (Second Makankosappo, VS Vegeta)

Gohan  
981  
4,100 (Rage-Boosted Masenko)

Krillin  
2,100  
2,750 (Kamehameha)

Yamcha  
1,780

Tien  
2,400  
4,800 (Tri-Beam)

Chiaotzu  
1,000  
2,500 (Super Dodonpa)

Nappa  
4,000  
6,000 (Full Power)

Vegeta  
18,000 (Full Power)  
12,000 (Weakened)

Zamasu  
7,000  
10,500 (Kaio-Ken, Stage One)  
14,000 (Kaio-Ken, Stage Two)  
9,000 ('Black' Kamehameha)


	5. Chapter 4 - The Bigger they Are

Body Snatching Mishap, Chapter 4

With a forceful grunt and a subsequent yell, Vegeta finds himself freed from the end of the Kamehameha, the beam flying off into the distance and dissipating into the air. The prince clutches at his chest, a good portion of his spandex top burnt off to expose his bare chest. ' _How did he still have that much power to attack, despite all of the energy he's exerted!'_ At this point, Vegeta is certain that 7,000 is not the extent of Zamasu's power, but he's entirely confused as to how.

' _There's no way that he could have gone from weaker than Raditz to equal to me in the span of a year. There's absolutely nothing that should allow him to hold such power!'_ A sense of dread wells up in Vegeta as _one_ thought passes through his mind… HIs arms - previously up in front of him - fall to his sides, hands limp as he thinks of the one possibility. ' _Could it be that he's… the Saiyajin of legend? No, there's absolutely no way! That is_ _ **my**_ _birthright, and I'll be damned if I accept that a low-class warrior such as Kakrotto could achieve it!'_ Vegeta looks around in the sky, to see if any sort of moon is in sight.

' _Surely this planet has a moon if he was sent here as a child. I should be able to see it, so where is it?'_ His tail unfurls from around his torso as he looks around, finding that there's in fact no moon. "D-damnit... Kakarotto, did you actually have the foresight to destroy the damn moon…?" Perhaps it's as such, especially when Vegeta recalls 'Kakarotto' being so quick to go for his tail. It only makes sense that he knows of the form and what it would result in.

"No matter; if Kakarotto thinks that destroying the moon will stop me then he clearly doesn't know everything about me. I'll simply use my Power Ball technique to smash him into the dirt all the same." A vein bulges in his forehead as he clenches his fists, his aura flickering to life before bursting forth in a purple blaze. "I will make Kakarotto pay for humiliating me in this way; both him _and_ that damned Namekian! **Both will perish before the might of Prince Vegeta!** "

With an enraged yell, he pushes his ki out behind him, leaving a trail of purple as he cuts through the air, intent on getting back to Zamasu and Piccolo and finishing what he started before any sort of backup can arrive to provide them aid. ' _I will crush them…'_ He scowls, only increasing his pace with another fierce shout. His energy can be felt for miles, but he can't feel the two energies on a path to intercept him…

-BSM-

Tien and Chiaotzu are flying at top speed, the landscape nothing more than a blur beneath them. The bag of senzu beans is secured firmly to Tien's belt by a rope, his gaze locked on the distant location where Zamasu and Piccolo are located. He can sense Vegeta's energy as well, and he knows the truth: if they both go directly for the duo, Vegeta will arrive first.

Tien reaches down as he flies, untying the bag of Senzu and holding it out to Chiaotzu. Chiaotzu stares at it for a moment in confusion, but takes it and slowly secures it to his own outfit. "Is something wrong, Tien?" Chiaotzu asks, confused by this action. Tien shakes his head, returning his gaze to their destination as he responds.

"I know you can feel it too, Chiaotzu - we won't have the time to make it to the two before Vegeta does. One of us needs to intercept him, and I'm going to do it. You have to get the Senzu Beans to them; you're the Earth's last hope right now." Tien smirks, putting all of his confidence in his friend.

"W-wait, Tien, there has to be another way; if we both intercept him, then maybe we can stop him! You and I can both prepare Super Dodonpas and, and, and we can beat him…!" Chiaotzu falters as he reaches the end of his sentence, seeing that Tien's expression hasn't changed.

"You're brave, Chiaotzu; you always have been…" Tien lets out a light chuckle, but sighs. "I'll see you when this is done, my friend." He does a two finger salute to Chiaotzu, before breaking off at a sharp angle, his own ki trailing behind him in a brilliant white streak as he moves in such a way that he's bound to intercept Vegeta.

' _What are you planning, Tien… Even with that senzu bean you ate, there's no way you can create an attack powerful enough to even slow him on your own…'_ ' A sense of dread is welling in Chiaotzu as he considers… there's an attack that might slow him, even if it won't take him out. ' _Tien, no…!'_ Every bit of Chiaotzu wants to turn and help his friend, but the small fighter knows there would be no point. He'd simply be wasting the chance that Tien is making for him… for all of them.

With a sinking feeling in his gut, Chiaotzu continues on his own path, knowing that the battle is about to be decided by both his own actions and Tien's. Both of them have a duty to fulfil, and it's not up to him to decide whether he wants to or doesn't want to do it.

Meanwhile, Tien has made his way into Vegeta's path with some time to spare, readying himself for what he'll have to do. He holds his hands out in front of him, pressing his fingers together so that the area in the middle creates the shape of a diamond. Taking deep breaths, he begins to focus his power, feeling it rush through his arms and into his fingertips. Electricity crackles off of his hands, arcing onto his arms and leaving small burns in its wake.

Tien can feel Vegeta coming rapidly closer, his muscles bulging as his power begins to swell beyond its normal limits. Veins can be seen over his arms, at the same time that Vegeta's aura comes into view, the distant purple dot nearly dead center in Tien's crosshairs of sorts. He smirks, narrowing his eyes and preparing to let loose the attack, bigger than anything he had ever unleashed before.

Vegeta narrows his eyes as he sees a fighter in the distance, standing between him and his target. ' _If he thinks that I'm going to slow down, then he's sorely mistaken…'_ Vegeta keeps his pace, his rage blinding him to the power Tien's storing up. ' _I'll simply plow straight through him and continue on my way to finish what I started…'_

It's not much longer before the gap between Vegeta and Tien is closed, and time seems to slow down for both parties. Now within very close quarters, Vegeta is able to see the massive quantity of electricity arcing from Tien, and even the power beginning to surge forth from his hands. Though he tries to stop, or move, it's far too late now.

' _I'll see all of you soon… I hope that you take this opportunity I've given you to defeat this monster…'_ Tien roars out, unleashing an attack of epic proportions at point-blank range. " **KIKOHO!"** The energy surges forward with a blinding light, enveloping everything in front of Tien in a focused radius. Vegeta is entirely enveloped in the explosion, and even blown back by the amassed power.

Tien pants, his hands weakly falling away from each other while his arms hang. His body is slumped forward, but his job isn't done yet. ' _I have to hold him off for as long as I can…'_ His body burns and his muscles resist as he weakly slips into his fighting stance… but there's no power behind his movements. He's running on empty, on nothing more than fumes.

As the smoke clears, Vegeta is floating with bloodshot eyes, seeing red as he stares down Tien. His clothing is in even worse shape now, only his boots and spandex leggings remaining. The shock of what just occurred slowly but surely wears off, and if he were any angrier he would be letting loose smoke from his nostrils like a bull.

"Y-you… you worm!" He moves quicker than Tien can blink, within point-blank range with his fist pulled back in the same moment that he moved. Tien can see one thing, though: scratches litter Vegeta's form, small wounds and burns of varying sizes. He may not have killed the prince, but he slowed him and wounded him… and that's good enough for Tien.

Vegeta throws his fist forward, opening it at the last second to slam his palm flat against the triclops's chest. "Now… DIE!" He lets loose an attack of his own, enveloping Tien and completely obliterating him with far less effort than had been used on Vegeta only moments ago. In the next moment, Tien is no more.

-BSM-

Chiaotzu soon arrives at the battlefield where Piccolo and Zamasu are located, seeing the chaos that's occurred in the form of the decimated landscape. Beyond that, his eyes settle on the winded forms of Piccolo and Zamasu, who seem to be in the middle of discussing some sort of plan amongst themsevles; no doubt trying to create a workable strategy in their equally weakened states.

"Hey, you two!" Chiaotzu comes to a stop before Piccolo and Zamasu, frantically, undoing the rope that holds the sack of beans to his belt. "Tien sent me here with senzu beans for the two of you. Quickly, take them!" He retrieves two of the dry beans from the bag, handing one to each of the two. Piccolo and Zamasu both chew them up without wasting a moment, their energies filling back up… and then some in Zamasu's case.

"Tien said he was going to do something to slow down Vegeta, but I have a bad feeling about it; maybe if the three of us hurry, then we can help him and he won't have to risk his-" All three go stiff as they feel a sudden surge of power upon the release of Tien's attack, the energy behind it strong enough to both scare and impress Zamasu even.

Within seconds, though, the feeling of Tien's energy fading into nothingness makes the end result clear - he was able to buy time, but it was all he could do. To buy that time, he had to give his life… to make matters worse, Vegeta's ki can be felt moving once more within only a short moment of the disappearance of TIen's energy.

"We don't have much time, but here's the plan: we believe that when Vegeta reaches us, he will transform into a Great Ape. I'll use my giant state to take his focus, while you and Zamasu work to sever his tail. It's not a foolproof fan, but it might be the only one that doesn't end in us getting crushed." Piccolo explains as quickly as he can, getting a light nod from Chiaotzu.

"So, it's settled then." Zamasu cracks his neck and knuckles, rolling his shoulders before smoothly slipping into his own fighting stance, standing at an angle, both arms bent at 90 degrees and hands flat like blades. "I'll just summon a ki blade when the time is right, and sever his tail at the base. Quick, clean, and easy." Vegeta arrives in mere moments, fuming as he looks to the trio.

He raises his hand to his side, forming a ball of white ki, said ki crackling quite strangely. "Yo will all regret the day that you chose to challenge Prince Vegeta!" He throws the ball of ki high into the sky, holding his hand up towards it as his tail flicks behind him. "Now… PERISH!" He squeezes his hand into a fist, and the contents of the ki ball seem to mix, growing multiple times over.

Wind blows across the landscape from the force of the reaction, keeping the fighters rooted to the ground and unable to act as Vegeta looks up to the artificial moon, power coursing through him. His existing wounds appear to heal up halfway, as he slowly grows larger and bulkier. His eyes are overtaken with red, and his face contorts, transforming into that of a monkey's with small cracks and snaps.

Fur coats his body, soon, as his remaining clothing grows to equal the enlarged size of Vegeta. Now an Oozaru, he looms over Piccolo, Chiaotzu, and Zamasu with a rather devilish smirk on his ape face. " **I will crush you three in mere seconds. If you wish for it to be painless, you'll be best off simply surrendering. If you resist, it will only become more painful!"** He laughs, his deep laugh rumbling the landscape as he smashes his fists together.

Piccolo grits his teeth, readying himself with his fists clenched at his sides and his stance wide. ' _It's been years since I attempted this…'_ His muscles begin to bulge, the ground cracking beneath him as he already begin to gain height. ' _Let's see if i still have what it takes!'_ He's soon twice his size, then triple, and it isn't long before he's grown to match Vegeta's height. Though his power increase isn't as potent, it boosts him enough to pose a viable threat.

" **Let's tussle, monkey boy.** " Piccolo lurches forward at the same time that Vegeta does, their hands locking together and their feet digging into the rocks below. Their powers clashing cause heavy winds to whip up, so much so that Chiaotzu and Zamasu are thrown away from the large duo, crashing into different rock formations and becoming pinned.

Vegeta and Piccolo look into each other's eyes, and the latter is showing off a rather confident grin, while Vegeta has an angry snarl locked on his face. ' _I may not have become strong enough to equal him like this, even if he's weakened…'_ His pupils begin to glow, and Vegeta's eyes widen as he moves back.

' _But I can still put up a hell of a fight here!'_ Two beams of energy shoot forth from his eyes, one of then managing to graze the side of Vegeta's head. He retorts with a roar, opening his mouth and letting loose a mouth blast towards Piccolo. The Namekian takes it head on, throwing Piccolo back and leaving him vulnerable to a punch to the face. Piccolo falls to the rocky landscape with a heavy crash, embedding himself slightly in the ground.

Zamasu is able to get up, repositioning himself relative to the colossal fighters so that he's roundabouts behind Vegeta, preparing to attack at a moment's notice. Meanwhile, Chiaotzu springs into action, throwing himself between Vegeta and Piccolo with his hands at the sides of his face. "Taiyoken!" Vegeta is met with blinding light, and he reaches up to cover his eyes.

" **GRAH, MY EYES! WHAT DID YOU DO!?** " Vegeta staggers back, nearly crushing Zamasu and furthermore nearly falling over himself, staggered for enough time that Piccolo is able to push back to a standing position, and jump forward. Chiaotzu flies out of the way as Piccolo throws himself onto Vegeta, knocking the great ape to the ground and pinning him there.

"You like mouth blasts too, huh?" Piccolo opens his mouth, letting out a somewhat garbled shout as he lets loose a mouth blast from point-blank range; Vegeta simultaneously roars in pain as the attack is a direct hit, enveloping his head.

Piccolo smirks as he lies on top of the suddenly motionless prince, but Vegeta's massive tail whips out of nowhere, knocking Piccolo off of him and allowing Vegeta to take a hold of the Namekian's arm. He yanks him high into the air, bringing him down and smashing Piccolo into the ground below. The earth quakes for miles, deep cracks coming forth in the impact.

Piccolo has no time to simply lie there, though, pushing himself up and finding Vegeta's foot pressing down on his back. With a yell, Piccolo attempts to push up against it, though he's only succeeding in pushing his hands and knees into the ground, cracking it as he begins to sink deeper. Above him, Vegeta lets out a deep cackle, lifting his foot and stomping down hard enough to flatten Piccolo to the ground once more, widening the crater.

' _Damnit, I was hoping my interference wouldn't be needed yet…'_ Zamasu didn't want to remind Vegeta of his presence, but it seems as if his hand is being forced here. Coating his body in the fiery cloak of the Kaio-Ken, he leaps forth and puts his hands together. "Haaa!" He lets loose an energy blast into Vegeta's back, staggering the prince and giving Piccolo a breather.

Vegeta's tail once more attempts to attack, moving swiftly to hit Zamasu; though Vegeta severely outpaces him, the distance the tail has to cover allows him to narrowly dodge, grabbing the prince by the tail and flying into the air, effectively pulling Vegeta up with him. The Oozaru roars in fury and pain, and Zamasu soon spins around, releasing the giant tail and sending Vegeta flying a decent ways away.

The red aura disappears from around him, and he drops to the ground, hiding himself behind a rock formation and watching as Vegeta pushes to his feet with an enraged, primal shout. They're getting to him, and it shows, as he picks up a massive rock and angrily lobs it in Zamasu's direction. He prepares to intercept it, but Piccolo beats him to the punch, the rock harmlessly shattering against him as he runs towards Vegeta.

Piccolo delivers a painful uppercut, and this is the start of a series of heavy attacks he unleashes upon Vegeta. Piccolo is perhaps a bit larger and slower, his power heightened further yet his speed slowed as he's passed the point of equilibrium. Vegeta eventually catches each blow, and blows Piccolo back with a kiai, the kiai accompanied by another primal shout.

Piccolo puts two fingers to his forehead, and charges up a hasty Makankosappo. He launches it within seconds, and Vegeta swats it away harmlessly, the attack curving until it eventually impacts with the landscape behind him. He moves in to blow Piccolo away in a similar manner that he did to Tien, but as he comes close he has to narrowly avoid a barrage of eye beams.

" **Damnit- Argh!** " Vegeta is open due to the sudden dodge, and he takes a shot to the kidney, keeling over and receiving a knee to the face. While he may have the power advantage, it's overwhelmingly clear that - because he uses this form as little as possible - he has little idea how to adapt his style for it. Meanwhile, Piccolo is simply fighting normally, but on a larger scale.

Piccolo grabs Vegeta by the throat, holding him in place and jabbing him hard in the gut. " **Zamasu, now!** " Vegeta grasps the arm holding him by the throat, and crushes with all of his power, wrenching the limb off at the shoulder. Purple blood spurts from the shoulder, and Piccolo grabs at it with his other arm. A sharp buzzing can be heard, as Vegeta is attacked from behind!

Zamasu swears as Vegeta moves at the last second, meaning that he only leaves a deep gash in the Oozaru;s tail as opposed to slicing clean through it. Vegeta howls in agony, his wounded tail smashing Zamasu into the ground with a heavy crack, the body snatcher coughing up blood as one of his lungs is punctured by a broken rib.

' _Damn it all to hell, now I'm in worse shape than I had been prior to being given that Senzu Bean!'_ Zamasu watches with dread as Vegeta slowly turns around to face him, lifting up his foot in order to bring it down and crush him-!

Chiaotzu springs out of hiding, taking hold of Vegeta's tail about halfway down. "I got it!" He yells out, latching on tight and digging his fingers into the flesh. Though Vegeta may throw himself about and thrash his tail, Chiaotzu refuses to let go. His body is slowly surrounded by a close, thick aura, and his body glows bright white.

"Goodbye, everyone!" He yells out, shutting his eyes and detonating himself with one fierce cry. Vegeta's tail is blown clean in half, and the wounded Zamasu has to roll out of the way of the severed half, as it impacts the place where he had been only moments before. ' _That was close!'_

Vegeta stands in shock, his body twitching as he feels his tail split in two. He slowly shrinks down, but not fully. His tail remains, though only half, and when he shrinks he remains bulked up but in his normal state of being. He looks around for whoever it might be that attempted to blow his tail off in its entirety, but has no time as Piccolo attempts to smash Vegeta into the ground with a heavy stomp.

The 'roided out prince catches the giant foot with both hands, grunting as his arms are bent and he's forced into a crouch. Unfortunately for him, Piccolo is now the stronger of the two, and he proves it by pushing more force into his attack, Vegeta's arms quaking as they threaten to give out at any second.

Zamasu weakly pushes to a standing position, cupping his hands at his side. "Let's see if you survive the second one, filthy _mortal…_ " He scowls lowly, hacking up a bit of blood before chanting out the name of Son Goku's attack in a rough voice. "Kaa… mee…" Once more, purple and black ki gathers between his hands, forming into a loose ball.

He and Vegeta make eye contact as the energy begins to condense and focus itself, panic on the face of the bulky Vegeta. "Haa… mee…" The ball of ki lets off a shrill squeal, and Zamasu throws his hands forward, the ball chaotically deforming before bursting forward in a powerful wave of ki. " **HAA!** " The blast is big enough to not only envelop Vegeta, but also the ground below and Piccolo's foot above. The giant Namekian shrinks down to normal side, floating as to avoid putting pressure on his stump leg.

Vegeta is thrown a ways back, and every bit of extra energy he has is knocked out of him as he takes the powerful attack head-on. The power ball dissipates without his ability to maintain it, and he shrinks down to his normal, wounded self. Wheezing and gargling on what he imagines to be his own blood, he pulls a chipped and barely-functional remote from a hidden pocket in his spandex.

With the push of a few buttons, he summons his pod to beside him, and slowly drags himself into it. ' _They have broken my body, shattered my pride, and have even taken half of my tail… but my life will not be ended today. I must live; I will become the legendary Super Saiyajin, and defeat Kakarotto, and I will have my revenge!'_ The pod door shuts, and he inputs the commands for a safe planet.

" **Not so fast!** " Both fighters fire a heavy barrage of ki blasts in the general direction of Vegeta's pod, but right as all of the blasts near it, it takes off into the sky, managing to leave behind a _series_ of sonic booms as opposed to simply one. Still, the two fighters fire into the air, hoping in vain that they might be able to cip the craft and take it out of the sky.

As it disappears - becoming nothing more than a speck in the sky that fades from view - they realize in dread that while they won this battle, there is still a war they've far from won…

End, Chapter 4

Author's Note: Sorry for the shorter length of the chapter, as well as the delay in actually finishing it. If you notice, the story now has an actual cover, and that took up about half a week of time to do. It was in collaboration with a friend of mine, but they lack any sort of social media so I can't link to it. Anyways, now for the power levels!

Piccolo  
3,500  
10,500 (Giant Namekian  
14,000 (Giant Namekian, Bulked Up)

Tien  
2,400  
7,200 (Full Power Tri Beam)

Chiaotzu  
1,000

Vegeta  
9,000 (Weakened, Post-Kamehameha)  
45,000 (Oozaru)  
18,000 (Semi-Oozaru/Half Tail Oozaru)

Zamasu  
10,000 (Senzu + Zenkai)  
15,000 (Kaio-Ken, Stage One)  
17,500 ("Black" Kamehameha)


End file.
